Friday 7 February 2020

Thy Will Be Done

"Thy Will Be Done".

We proclaim those words every time we pray the Lord's Prayer. But do we mean them? Do we actually want to say, "Thy will be done as long as it is what I want. As long as it suits me. As long as it does not affect me adversely. Otherwise I will not accept it. I may even rebel".

Is that what we mean by those four words which our Lord taught us?

Do we want it our way because we know best? You'd be surprised how many people want to serve God in an advisory capacity. Telling Him what He should do in this or that situation as it affects our lives or that of our loved ones.

But Christ did not put any conditions when he taught us those four words. He did not say, "Thy will be done however ..."

So, what do these words really mean?

I guess that first and foremost they affirm that God is Omnipotent, the Creator of the universe and all that is in it; including us. And His will, I guess, is that His love might reach each one of us, and that we share in that love, and that we love Him back.

However, there is another dimension to God's will. It is not His will or wish that we are forced into this relationship with our Maker. He gave us love freely and His will is that it is reciprocated freely.

We still retain the choice not to accept or return His love for us.

Let's stop here and consider this for a moment. Is it possible that God's will is therefore never truly done? Is it possible that, if some people do not love Him, turn their back on Him, then God's will is not done?

The answer is YES and NO.

Yes, it is His will that we choose freely our way of life. How we act, what we believe and so on.

No, it is not God's will that bad things happen on earth. It is not His will that some evil people kill others, or steal, or commit all sorts of sins. It is not God's will that some people suffer illnesses and sicknesses. He does not get some sort of pleasure when evil and bad things happen. So in this respect, God's will is NOT done on earth. It is our will that takes over, and we commit those sins freely, no doubt assisted by the devil who surely exists even though we might not always acknowledge him.

Remember, the angel Lucifer had the choice, and he chose to rebel against God. God allowed this to happen because He had given everyone, including His angels, the free will to choose.

The same applies to us when our will, freely given by God as an act of love, takes control and chooses evil. It cannot be any other way. For God to intervene and direct us onto the path of good would mean He has taken away our free will to decide.

God allows evil to happen. It is the consequence of our free will to decide.

And when there is sickness and illness, poverty and suffering; God allows that to happen too. It is not His will directly but often a consequence of our freedom to choose. Our freedom to sin. He allows it to happen, perhaps, I guess again, to offer an opportunity for those amongst us to do good. To help the sick and the poor and the destitute. And not turn the other way like the rich man did to Lazarus at his gate.

So, let us consider again what is meant by "Thy will be done".

I believe that God wishes us to love and trust Him so much that when we pray those words we mean, "God, I know that your will for me is good and is borne out of love. I trust you, and therefore I pray that your will that we should all love you in return actually happens some day".

One day ... the time will come when each one of us, individually, will meet God face to face.

Some of us will have spent our lives praying and truly believing, "Thy Will Be Done".

To the others, God will say, "OK ... Thy Will Be Done. Now go to hell."

(With apologies to C S Lewis for misquoting him).

24 comments:

  1. I think this is the most difficult of all God's precepts. It rolls off the tongue, but is SO difficult to execute.

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    1. Yes, I have great difficulties with "Thy Will Be Done".

      God bless, Kathy.

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  2. I think of God as a presence, a power, something far away from our ability to comprehend. Is evil really evil? If we are attacked by a wild animal, is that evil. If we slaughter a pig are we evil? We are to the pig! On the whole, when I look around I see so much beauty that I believe the presence and power, God, must be loving and good. If Jesus was sent to Earth by this force, his message was "Hang in there, it will all be good in the end." I don't know what God's will is, but it surly will be done.

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    1. You raise some very good points, JoeH. Let's see if we agree:

      Yes - God is a power, an Omnipotent LIVING presence Creator of all things.

      Yes - He sent His only Son on earth, as a living God for us to see, to believe, and to love and to repent for our sins. He came to save us.

      Yes - all will be good in the end. “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
      Julian of Norwich.

      No - if we are attacked by an animal or we kill an animal to eat, this is not evil. It is part of our nature. Animals kill to eat and defend their cubs. We kill to eat.

      Yes - evil is really evil. Man is evil, and has been so since he started sinning. There are degrees of evil. The odd white lie or murder, robbery, cheating on one's spouse and so on. That is the evil I speak of. It is man-made, and God allows it to happen. If He were to stop it He would be interfering with our lives, and our free will to choose evil.

      You are of course right that all the beauty you see around you is a manifestation of God's power and love. God is loving. God created order in the universe. Sadly, some people prefer disorder and to live life their way.

      God bless you, JoeH.

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    2. "Yes - evil is really evil. Man is evil, and has been so since he started sinning. There are degrees of evil. The odd white lie or murder, robbery, cheating on one's spouse and so on. That is the evil I speak of. It is man-made, and God allows it to happen. If He were to stop it He would be interfering with our lives, and our free will to choose evil." I agree with this concept.

      If there was no God, or if God was not good, the world would be in black and white.

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    3. Well said, JoeH. The world is not in black and white.

      God bless you always.

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  3. AMEN to what Kathy just said! Like I wrote at Martha's place a few minutes ago, the enemy is real. But we, His prayer warriors are strong. I can't begin to understand His ways, but you have helped strengthen my faith immeasurably. Thank you.

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    1. Thank you Mevely. I doubt we will ever comprehend how His will be done and how sometimes it does not turn out good for some of us - illness, sickness, poverty, sudden death and so on. That's where faith comes in. Real faith. Something I sometimes struggle with. To believe that when things go wrong, He allows them to happen in order to fit with His overall plan and will.

      God bless you, Mevely.

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  4. Amen, Victor! No matter what happens, may God's will be done.
    Blessings, my friend, and thank you for today's inspiration!

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    1. I think, stoically, we have to accept His will be done. Through gritted teeth even. He is God, He is Omnipotent, and whether we like it or not His will, will be done. All we have to do is truly believe that He loves us and cares for us.

      Yet ... there are those who prefer to defy Him. My C S Lewis quote refers to these people.

      God bless you, Martha.

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  5. We aren't puppets on a string that God manipulates.
    He doesn't put words into our mouths. He let us speak of our own free will...right or wrong. We know right from wrong and when we screw it up it is our doing not God's.
    God is there for us to pray to and ask for His help. He has given us the freedom to choose right from wrong.
    I, for one, do not wish to bring His wrath down upon my head.
    We are only human beings but we know right from wrong and we should never be afraid to ask God for anything...just remember that God answers in His own way and when He is ready. God doesn't punch a time clock. He is available day or night 24/7 to listen to our prayers.

    Great post Victor
    God's Blessings ✝

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    1. Yes, well said Jan. But should we love and trust Him because He loves and cares for us, or because we do not wish to bring His wrath down upon our heads?

      I sometimes think I am helpless. It is either His way or His way. I seem to be helpless in this situation. Yes, I believe and love God as best I can. But is it through fear, or is it through trust that He has my best interests at heart?

      God bless, Jan.

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    2. I cannot answer your question Victor. I can only say that I have never feared God. He is all powerful but I feel that He hesitates to use this power to get what He wants. If that was the case God would be a dictator to mankind not a Savior of the people.

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    3. You're right Jan. Do we fear God because of His wrath or because we fear disappointing him with our behaviour? Do we fear Him because if we don't obey Him we'll go to hell? How does He view our attitude and our behaviour in life?

      Some people do love God because they are afraid of the alternative. Is their love any less worthy than those who love God because of their faith and their trust?

      Thank you for your views on this difficult subject, Jan. I wonder what other readers think?

      God bless.

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  6. Yes. May 'God's Will' be done in each of our lives -- through 'gritted teeth', if that's necessary!
    However, on a different topic, I'm wondering if, 6+ weeks AFTER Christmas -- how many people have truly OPENED their REAL "Christmas Gift" yet -- and have really 'welcomed' Jesus Christ INTO their lives, their hearts and their minds?
    I was a 'nominal Catholic' for 50+ years; and suddenly, one day I realized that I HAD NEVER REALLY, 'OPENED' my very first, REAL Christmas gift -- JESUS, MY Saviour -- whereupon, my 'head-belief' turned into 'heart-faith' in what felt like, an'instant' -- a mere 'second' in time!!

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    1. You must be a clairvoyant, Suzanne. This is my post for tomorrow, written and saved two days ago. It is about welcoming Jesus in our hearts.

      God bless you always.

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  7. I've learned that God's will is best even when it is not what we want.

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  8. Thy will be done. Such a prayer of consecration and total surrender. Easier said than done, but when we reach that place of complete rest in His arms, such peace He gives!

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  9. I love this prayer. It simplifies everything and reminds me that I don't run the universe. It takes the pressure off and increases faith!

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  10. When i pray for His will to be done, i remember that His will is that none should perish, but that all should come to knowledge of the truth. My prayer is that this will happen, that all will come to Him. Yes, i know, many won't, and that makes me so very sad.

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    1. Wise words, Mimi. Yes, His will is that we all come to Him. But some people think they know better.

      God bless.

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