May 5

Doing the Will of God

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. — Matt 6:10 BSB

Many people quote this part of the prayer as if it only means submitting to some difficult circumstance. They think it’s about losing friends, money, or dealing with sickness or trouble. But that’s just a small part of its meaning. It’s really about doing God’s will, not just enduring it.

It’s much easier to pray for others to do God’s will than to pray for ourselves. We often think other people should obey God, and we have no trouble praying that they would. But what about ourselves? We are the only ones truly responsible for our own lives. When we pray this prayer sincerely, we are asking that we, personally, would do God’s will as perfectly as it’s done in heaven. This prayer can only be offered when we are ready for complete, unquestioning obedience the moment we know what God’s will is.

Sometimes doing God’s will means making sacrifices or suffering. When that’s the case, our prayer may cost us dearly. It might mean giving up something we love, losing a dear friend, or sacrificing something precious. It might lead us down a path of pain and tears. But we should always say this prayer, and then keep our lives aligned with God’s will, never rebelling or complaining, but quietly doing whatever He asks.

He always wins who sides with God,
To him no chance is lost;
God’s will is sweetest to him when
It triumphs at his cost.

Pain He blesses is for our good,
And unblessed gain is loss;
And all that seems wrong becomes right,
When it is His sweet will.