Thy Will Be Done

Happy Sunday. Today we continue in our study of the Lord's Prayer. We've made it to "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." As we begin, let me ask you this question.

How many wills are there in heaven? How many wills are there in heaven? The answer is one. Scripture teaches us that once upon a time, there was a revolt in heaven.

A war of wills. It ended with God casting out the devil and his followers. In heaven, there is one will. Can you imagine?

On earth, there are billions. And here is the problem. God has given us free will. We each have our own will.

That's bad news and it's good news, too. It's bad because we at times find our wills against the will of God. We can choose the wrong direction. It's good because we can make our own choices.

God loves us that much and he gave us our own will. Our children and grandchildren were all at my house the other day. I'm careful not to say my children were home yesterday or the other day. My house is not their home.

They are grown up and they are gone. They have free will. I suppose I could have locked them in the attic in a in a scape-proof room. We hear stories like that.

They're sad. That is far from love. God loves us so much that he allows us to have choice. That again is a blessing and a curse.

We can choose to join our lives with his will or we can take a different path. Back to the prayer, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. When we pray this prayer, we are saying that we are willing to give up our will. Let that sink in.

When we pray this prayer, we are saying that we are willing to give up our own will. Now, this is not a bad thing. It's a good thing. Because God's will is always better than ours.

I can think of a few times in my life that I have had a plan that wasn't God's will. I had land fever in the mid-1990s. A friend of mine had around 50 acres of land for sale with a small house and a pond and some timber. The price was right and I talked to the bank and I was pre-qualified and there was only one problem.

There was another buyer. I was second in line. The other buyer was a distant relative of the seller, but they were having trouble securing the money. It looked like I would get the land and I was so excited.

At the last minute, the other folks got the financing and bought the land. I was not a happy camper. To be honest, I wasn't happy with God. I wondered how he could let me down for that.

Hmm. Not too long after that event, I was called to a church in Indiana. Hundreds of miles from where I was in Mississippi. If I had bought the land, I never would have moved.

I would have been like Jonah. Disobedient. God's will for my life will always be better than my will. That land would have been an anchor that would have kept me from following God's will and a great adventure.

We all have our stories. Sometimes we follow God's will and sometimes we don't. That is why daily we should pray thy will be done. There are some sections of scripture that tell us what God's will is for us as a group.

It's known as God's common will for us. For instance, Ephesians 5 tells us, "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people, but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There we see a list of common things that we should be careful how we live, we should make the most of our time, we shouldn't be drunkards, we should have a godly song in our hearts, that we should give thanks to God always. Can you imagine this world if just that list was followed? Can you imagine your church if all that was followed? In 1 Thessalonians 5, we have another list.

We are told this, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Again, can you imagine how this world would be if just this was followed? Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, Give thanks in all circumstances. To pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

means that we will seek first what God's want. What God wants. We will follow his will. When we as believers seek God's will first, our lives are always better.

Today, I encourage you to look at your life and see if you are in any way living outside of God's will. And if so, pray and ask God to change you. To conform to his will. Pray with me.

Lord God, help us to seek to rejoice always, to pray always, to make the most of our times, to do the common things of your will that you would have us to do, always. Forgive us when we run astray. But we pray as it is in heaven, your will is always done. Well, that would happen in our lives on this earth.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. God bless.