Your Will Be Done
I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is within my heart. — Psalms 40:8
Jesus said "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." — Luke 22:42
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: Jesus lived in absolute obedience to the Father and carried that surrender all the way to the cross. Although he experienced profound anguish and asked to be delivered from suffering, he subordinated his desire to the divine will. Paradoxically, his power and exaltation were bound up with his humility and submission. We must cultivate that same attitude, making our entire lives a continual surrender to God’s preferences. Even when we face painful circumstances that run contrary to our desires or expectations, our final petition must be that his will be done. In this way, we will receive grace to accept it gladly, spiritual power, and deeper communion with Christ, trusting that what comes from God is good and for our benefit.
The Lord Jesus Christ knew what He was talking about when He instructed His disciples always to pray, “Your will be done.” His entire life was an expression of a will completely submitted to the greater will of the Father. On one occasion He vividly declared: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Jesus’ entire identity was immersed in His absolute submission to the Father’s will. His coming into the world had been in obedience to God’s desire that He serve as a holy sacrifice for the redemption of the world.
When the time came to go to the cross, the Lord experienced the most profound and overwhelming anguish imaginable. He knew that, in obeying God’s will, He would have to drink the bitterest cup anyone had ever drunk. Nevertheless, after asking the Father to spare Him from that bitter cup, He declared: “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
The power of Jesus Christ lay, paradoxically, in His total submission to the will of His Father. By humbling Himself and surrendering completely to Him, He received absolute power and “a Name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:9).
Paul counsels us to cultivate “the same mind that was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). That “mind” refers to Jesus’ completely submissive and obedient attitude, for He “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (v. 8). With every beat of our hearts, we too must pray, “Your will be done.” Our entire life must be a continual submission to the will and preferences of our heavenly Father. By doing this, we will attain true spiritual greatness, receive the power of God in our lives, and enjoy intimate communion with the spirit of Jesus Christ, who reached the highest level of surrender and submission to the will of His Father.
Even when God brings circumstances and situations into our lives that are contrary to what we expect or desire, our final petition must also be, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done.”
“Lord, may Your perfect will be done in my life, and may I receive sufficient grace to accept it gladly, knowing that everything that comes from You, though it may be painful, is good and perfect, and for my good.” Amen.