Thy Will Be Done

“𝑻𝒉𝒚 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝑻𝒉𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉, 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏.”  Matthew 6:10

Surrender.  That’s the hard part.  The part where we really begin to pray, “𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗢 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻!”  And even more than that, “𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝗔𝗯𝗯𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲!”  Alan Redpath once said, “𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺, ‘𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦’, 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺, ‘𝘔𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘨𝘰’.”

It’s possible that you would have called me a ‘willful’ child – certainly if you speak to my Mother, she may say that.  Strong willed would be another way to put it!  Sadly, there is a stubborn streak in me that exists to this day, sometimes I try to play it off and say that I am tenacious.  To be fair, my tenacity has helped me to endure much!  I don’t believe in quitting and will hang on by my fingernails until the bitter end.  Perhaps that makes it all the harder to put someone else’s will above my own, but God has shown me over the years and over the many tears, that it is necessary to surrender.  That God’s way is oh so much better!

Often, I think back to the Garden, to that place of ultimate surrender in Gethsemane, a time in Jesus’ life where he was so “𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉.”  Matthew 26:39 tells us; “𝑮𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅, “𝑴𝒚 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒖𝒑 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆. 𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍.”  Not what I want, Father, but what you want.  Let your will be done.  Despite the pain He knew He would endure, Jesus surrendered His will, His desires to the Father.

It was for the joy set before Him that Jesus endured the cross. (Hebrews 12:2). The realization that the plan of the Father was far greater, the purpose of the cross far superior to even the will of Jesus.  Absolute surrender.  “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.”

I have realized that it is only in surrender, only in the laying down of my will at the feet of my LORD, that I will have empty hands to receive what God has for me.  A much greater plan!  When our hands are full of our own stuff, when we hold our own desires tightly to our chest, then we cannot receive the incredible blessings and plan of our Father.

As we say the LORD’s Prayer and come to the part of “𝗧𝗵𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲,” we are saying that you Abba Father are the priority.  Your priorities are my priorities, and my priorities no longer matter.  As you pray today, take the time to lay it all at Jesus feet, all your plans, your will, and then with empty hands lifted high, make His will your priority.