Jesus faced his concern about the coming suffering he would endure on the cross by praying for strength to do his father’s will. Rather than let fear overwhelm him or drive him to despair, Jesus knelt down and prayed, “Father, make your will and not mine“.
We can follow Christ’s example and humbly submit our impending concerns into the safe hands of our heavenly Father.
We can trust that God will be with us to help us through whatever we have to endure. He knows what awaits us and he always has our best interests in mind.
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What does “Your will be done and not mine” mean?
The prayer of petition must be offered in faith, but cannot boast of oneself. For this reason, it is usually expressed in the conditional form “Your will be done and not mine.” God is asked to give something, but only on the condition that he wants to give what is asked of him.
The obvious example is Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane: ‘Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done‘ (Luke 22:42).
“Thy will be done and not mine” is here explicitly or implicitly considered central to all sentences. In all petitionary prayers “God is asked to act, and the petitioner makes himself available as a secondary cause through which God can act.”
Many other theologians support the suggestion that the “Thy will and not mine be done” prayer is a way of offering oneself as a secondary cause for God to use. We try to discern God’s will in particular situations, align our own desires with his, and then ask God to act.
Why is it necessary to say “Your will be done and not mine”
Is it so important to say ‘your will and not mine’ after a prayer? Of course we do, by doing this we are giving all authority to God over our lives. Let’s see an example.
The phrase “Thy will be done and not mine” was taken from a prayer of Jesus. In the Gospel of Matthew (26:42) we see Jesus pray: “My Father, if this cup cannot pass from me without my drinking it, your will be done.” Jesus expresses his wish that things be different, but he uses himself so that his Father acts through him.
But what’s different about the category of petition prayers that doesn’t end with ‘thy will be done and not mine’? I suggest that the difference is in the relationship between our will and God’s will. Someone does not end their sentences saying ‘But not your will but mine’, because there they would be conditioning God.
What does the Bible say about the will of God?
The Bible is full of the will of God. For example, the Bible teaches us about calling, sanctification, and God’s will regarding thanksgiving. Here are some truths about God’s will:
1. God’s will is for our callings
God has called each one of us. Do you believe that? Almighty God called you and chose you to perform works of justice for his glory. Paul declared boldly and confidently that he had been “called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” (1 Corinthians 1:1).
God also called us through His will. And we can walk with the same boldness and confidence that Paul demonstrated. We never have to apologize for being a Christian or for walking in the callings to which God has called us. Seek God for your calling and purpose. Doing so will help you walk in obedience with our Heavenly Father.
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2. God’s will is for our sanctification
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you refrain from fornicating“(1 Thessalonians 4:3)”.
We must never wonder if God wants us to walk rightly. We never have to wonder if fornication, adultery, or other sins are right with God; they are not. It is never his will that we commit willful and presumptuous sins. In fact, sanctification is God’s will for our lives. God’s will is also that we give thanks in everything:
“Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.“(1 Thessalonians 5:18).
How to seek God’s will
In addition to studying the Bible, prayer can also help us discern God’s will. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, Jesus included “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” to teach the disciples then, as well as His disciples today, what to focus on in prayer.
This portion of The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that DGod is not required to act on behalf of our agendas. He moves according to his purposes and plans. When we bring our prayer list to the Lord, we must remember that his will is ultimately done. As Christians, we should desire his will over our own anyway.
How the Holy Spirit helps us understand God’s will
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God“. (Romans 8:14).
There are times in a Christian’s life when the Bible is silent on a particular subject, and prayer does not seem to bring the answers we are seeking. It has been during those times that the Holy Spirit guides me through open and closed doors (opportunities).
A few years ago, I was asking the Lord for a job closer to home and found what seemed like a perfect position. However, the job required weekly travel. I was a student, sister and leader. The trip would have forced me to abandon all three, and I was not willing to do so.
I told one of my friends’ employer and sadly restarted my job search, convinced that the one perfect job had slipped through my fingers. Thanks to the guidance of the Holy SpiritI got a new job working from home in a month.
The new position allowed me quality time with my husband and family, and allowed me to continue teaching Bible studies. The Holy Spirit desires to lead and guide us to the will of God. We need to follow his lead, trusting that God’s will is always better than ours.
What drives us to accept God’s will?
The example of Jesus should be a motivation for us. Prayer was a way of life for Jesus, even when his human desires were contrary to God’s. The Bible says that Jesus Christ was in agony. We felt the intense conflict in Jesus’ prayer, as his sweat was like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44).
He asked his Father to remove the cup of suffering from him. Then she gave up: “Your will be done and not mine.” Here Jesus demonstrated the in prayer for all of us. Prayer is not about bending God’s will to get what we want..
The purpose of prayer is to seek God’s will and then align our desires with his. Jesus willingly placed his desires in complete submission to the will of the Father. This is the surprising turning point. We find the turning point again in the Gospel of Matthew:
He continued a little longer and bowed with his face to the ground, praying: “My Father! If it is possible, may this cup of suffering be taken from me. However, I want your will to be done, not mine.”“(Matthew 26:39).
Jesus not only prayed in submission to God, he lived that way:
“For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me.“(John 6:38).
When Jesus gave the disciples the model prayer, he taught them to pray for God’s sovereign rule:
“Thy kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven“(Matthew 6:10).
God understands our human struggles
When we desperately want something, choosing God’s will over our own is not an easy task. God the Son understands better than anyone how difficult this choice can be. When Jesus called us to follow him, he called us to learn obedience through suffering just as he had:
Although Jesus was the Son of God, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest and became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him (Hebrews 5:8–9).
So when you pray, do it sincerely. God understands our weaknesses. Jesus understands our human struggles. Cry out with all the anguish of your soul, just as Jesus did. God can accept it. So he leaves your stubborn and meaty will. Submit to God and trust him.
If we truly trust God, we will have the strength to put aside our desires, our passions, and our fears, and believe that his will is perfect, right, and best for us.
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A prayer for God’s will to be done
Seeking and discerning the will of God is imperative for Christians, so that the enemy does not deceive us. We also need to know God’s will in order to walk in obedience. Here is a short prayer for you to say to God “Lord, your will be done and not mine”:
“Father, I come to you now with all humility and meekness. Leaving aside my goals, plans, agendas, desires, needs and will. Lord, no matter how I feel, I want Your will to be done in my life. Lord, use me as you see fit. I will go where you send me. I will speak what you tell me to speak. I will do what you ask me to do. Father, make me sensitive to Your Spirit and guide. Help me to recognize Your voice, Help me to obey Your voice and accept Your will. Thank you for being patient with me and loving me..
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
final thoughts
“Your will be done and not mine” is a biblical phrase that many want to avoid in their prayers. People, including Christians, are used to getting everything we want. However, we cannot desire God’s will, we must understand that the Lord’s will is better than ours and that he will always want the best for us. By wanting to force God’s decision, we are showing that we do not trust Him.