Your Will Be Done

Do you ever stop to wonder sometimes, "God, why do I keep making the same mistakes?  When am I going to learn?" 

There are times in my life when I really want something; a new car, a better job, more money, a vacation, the perfect mate.  Over the course of my experiences, the new car turned out to be a huge financial burden, the better job caused me more stress than my old one, more money only led to more bills (hence no money to go on the vacation), and those "perfect mates" caused many heartaches.  Why?  Because I wasn't praying for God's will to be done.  I felt that if I wanted something, I was strong enough, smart enough, and capable enough to make it happen!  But the outcomes were never exactly what I had hoped for.  The Lord has steadily been showing me to pray for His will above my own.  After all, just how many times did I want to continue to spin my wheels, only ending back up at the place I had started?  Emotional turmoil, heartache, and frustration caused me to take a good look at what I was doing with my life.
 
You know the old saying, "if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten."  I realized I had to do something different.  The Holy Spirit convicted me to start trusting God to work out even the smallest details of my life.  Despite what it sounds like, this did not take place over night.  But little by little, I began to pray about the different things I wanted, and I began to ask for God's guidance.  Yes, I even prayed about which people He wanted me to be friends with, which car He wanted me to buy and which job I should apply for (and if I should even be looking for another job).  Over time, I began to hear the Lord's gentle nudges.  They came as "gut feelings" or confirmations to what I had already been thinking.  Sometimes, the Lord would speak to me through another person who just so happened to tell me exactly what I was already feeling.  On top of that, I'd hear a message on the exact same subject on Christian radio that day.  OK, God knows just how many times it takes for me to get the point.  If I began to force my own will, I would literally begin feeling stressed inside emotionally and/or physically.  Beginning to trust God to lead me gave me a sense of stability and protection over my life.  My mind was not so cluttered with worry.  God's word says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."  (Is. 26:3)  
 
Parents want the very best for their children, even if it means saying "no."  God is our Abba Father.  Even if you don't have an earthly father, He is your Daddy.  Children don't always know what's best for themselves, but our heavenly Father does.  8"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. 9"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."  (Is. 55:8-9)

When we seek the Lord's will in our lives, we may not always understand the outcome.  Why didn't He let me get that promotion?  Why did He allow my relationship to end?  When things don't go our way, and we are submitted and obedient, it's OK to feel sad.  But the hope comes in knowing that God is still on the throne and has our best interest at heart.  He tells us, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."  (Jer. 29:11)   Whatever we give up in the name of submission to His will, God will replace with something or someone better than we could have ever done on our own!

Please don't misunderstand me.  It's not easy to pray for the Lord's will and then have to sacrifice our own.  Something deep down inside of me wants to try to "help" the Lord along with His plan for my life.  But just because I want something, doesn't make it good for me.  I want to eat a pound of M&M's a week, but we all know the health consequences of that.  When we pray God's will into our lives, we have to be ready to crucify our flesh and sacrifice our own immediate desires.  Each time I do this, it becomes easier.  Each time I chose the Lord, He strengthens my faith and puts me one step closer to receiving the blessing He has for me.  There were times when I overrode what I knew God was telling me, and each time I forsook His will, I suffered loss. 

The most powerful example of submitting our will to God comes from the story of Jesus when He was praying on the night He would be taken into custody to be crucified.  He knew the tremendous price He would have to pay and prayed, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42)  This simple prayer is a vital part of how God wants us to pray (see The Lord's Prayer, Mat. 6:10).

If you long for peace, serenity, protection, and guidance, you must come to the place where you say, "Lord, Your will be done."  When you have a desire, place it before God.  Ask Him to reveal to you whether your desire is actually His desire for you.  Then, just trust Him to bring it to pass.  At the same time, be prepared to let it go.  Regardless of the outcome, knowing that He is in your corner desiring the very best for you, you can have peace in your spirit.

Pray: Lord, I desire _______.  Nevertheless, Your will be done.  I trust you enough to submit my heart and my will to what You think is best for me.  Amen

Copyright 2005 From My Heart To Yours