The Lord's Prayer - The Third Petition:
Your will be done on earth as in heaven.
What is this? or What does this mean?
In fact, God's good and gracious will comes about without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it may also come about in and among us.
To Ponder:
When we pray that God's will be done on earth as in heaven, we acknowledge our obedience to the divine authority. The acknowledging of the desire that God's will be done or earth where we are implies, by contrast, that our will is not the one to govern our lives on earth:
"Your will be done."
Jesus teaches us to pray acknowledging that God's will is to be supreme over our human will.
- Alicia Vargas, "The Prayer That Jesus Taught Us."
Trusting God's Lead:
Have you looked up to the heavens and wondered what the purpose of your life might be? You may have asked, why am I here? Before I became a pastor I practiced law in South Texas. I thought I had found my calling in life. It was a very fulfilling vocation. I often sensed that some folks were looking for someone they could talk to about their problems. I would pray with my clients and ask God to show them what they should do, what direction they should take. When my pastor started insisting that I go to seminary, I was a bit confused. On one occasion he introduced me to a church leader who wrote to inform me that he was praying for me. I started looking up to the heavens and asking for divine guidance.
After much prayer I decided that this must be the will of God and that God was asking me to trust that this was something I was called to do. As I learned to let go of the work that I so enjoyed and to trust that God was leading me in a new direction, my prayer became, "Your will be done."
Prayer:
Holy God, help me to listen to your Spirit and follow your will. Amen.
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