Who's Will be Done

'Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done...'

How many times have I prayed that prayer? How many times have I considered what I am saying? Am I asking that God should hear my prayer and grant my request? Have I considered that I am asking not that God will satisfy a desire of mine, but that the will of the creator of the universe be done? How strange is that?

God did not seek my help in creating the universe. He did not ask for my advice when he made the heavens nor the earth. Why did Jesus teach us a prayer that would include the request that the will of the Father be done?

Perhaps Jesus was trying to impress upon man our uniqueness among all of creation: free will.

So, why do we pray that the will of the father be done? Because we stand as a singular impediment to the fulfillment of that will being realized. So what is the will of the Father? Do we seek to discover what that might be? Or are we so consumed with our own will that we try to impose that which we desire upon God as his will for us?

Jesus taught us so much more than a simple prayer which we so quickly recite from memory without hesitation and more sadly without thought. He taught us the secret of life: finding contentment in our role in the fulfillment of God's will.

Recently I was listening to an Apologetics.com episode entitled 'Thus sayeth the Lord'. One of the apologeticists, Lindsey Brooks, commented that the key difference between the bible and any other self help book is that while a book like Jim Cramer's 'Mad Money' might attempt to change our manner of thinking on investing: the bible goes beyond simply changing a singular view and transforms the entire scope of our being. I read 'Mad Money' and I have to begin to synthesize what it says and change my view of investing. The bible, on the other hand, is read and it goes so far beyond changing my view or focus on a particular subject. It seeks to transform my outlook on each and every facet of my life. It goes beyond how I look outward, it forces me to look into the mirror that reflects my soul.

I sat recently in the Sunday school class of Art and Annette Foster at Nashville First Church of the Nazarene and the lesson being taught was dealing with the glory of God. Associate Pastor Dale Benson's sermon had been drawn from Philippians 4. Annette, in presenting her summary of the book of Philippians had written several summary points on the white board. One word stood out, contentment.

Why would Paul say that word? Is he not aware that he himself wrote that 'I am to press on toward the goal before me'. Pressing on and being content, come on Paul, surely the two concepts are dichotomous and cannot both be my goal. Unless the goal I press toward cannot be something which I can attain within my own abilities.

A goal I cannot obtain? What a silly goal. I would never encourage an athlete to set a goal that they cannot attain. What would be the purpose in that? A goal should be obtainable. That is what I learned and what I teach. But, there is something I forget, the words that were spoken by Jesus as he prayed in the garden, 'Not my will, but your will.' As Jesus cried out in anguish from his knees in the garden, he returned to the simplicity of the prayer he taught us, to the fulfillment not of our will, but God's.

Our prayer should be that we conform to the will of God. That God will send His spirit not to accompany us but to indwell us. Not to influence us but to consume us. We must subject ourselves to the proposition that God's will is greater than ours and in His will being satisfied, ours will be made whole.