by Pastor Greg Laurie
September 28
Your Will Be Done
He [Jesus] knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. -Luke 22:41-43
There are some people who teach that we should never pray Jesus' prayer, "Not my will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). But didn't Christ teach this principle in the Lord's Prayer when He told His disciples, "In this manner, therefore, pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done.' " (Matthew 6:9-10)? If Jesus prayed for God's will, we certainly should follow His example. We must never be afraid to say to the Lord, "Your will be done."
When my son Jonathan was younger, he used to save up his money to buy a new toy. When he saved enough money, we would go to the toy store. Jonathan would look around and bring different toys to me and ask, "What do you think, dad? Should I get this one?" Inevitably, Jonathan wouldn't be able to decide on a toy, and he'd finally say, "Dad, why don't you choose for me." You know what I would do? I would end up spending a little more on him than if he had picked out the toy himself.
This is a simplistic way to illustrate God's attitude toward us. But the point is, are we thinking, Lord, why don't You choose for me? As the great evangelist D. L. Moody once said, "The sweetest lesson I have learned is to let God choose for me." God is going to give us above and beyond what we can ask or think. He is going to bless us in ways beyond our comprehension. Many times we limit God through our unbelief. He wants to do more than we are asking for. So don't ever be afraid to pray, "Not my will, but Yours, be done."
Copyright (c) 2004 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright (c) 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.