… your will be done …
Summary: We are moving on to the next section in the Lord’s Prayer, the one that talks about God’s “will” being done. It should be interesting!
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done…’”
So far in our mental meanderings, we have pondered the first three lines of the prayer. This included looking at who is telling us to pray, what it means to have God as our Father, what heaven is, what “hallowed” means, and a few thoughts on what God’s kingdom is like. In this meditation we look at the phrase, “…your will be done.”
Going back to the first line of the sentence, it is easy to see whose “will” we are talking about. Jesus points us to our “Father in heaven.” No chance of mistaking who he is talking about there. But what does Jesus mean by God’s “will?” What does our Father want from us?
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us many details that help answer this question. Yet, my mind always wants to go to Jesus’ summary of “all the law and the prophets.” In this passage Jesus summarizes what the Father wants from us this way:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
As I understand what I read in the Bible, this passage is the heart and soul of God’s “will” for us. Everything in the Bible ties back to these two statements.
Application: Look for ways to love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself.
Food for Thought: (a) Is it fair to say that these two statements from Matthew 22:37-40 summarize “all the law and the prophets,” and (b) do these also apply to the New Testament?
a) yes, Jesus said it
b) yes, because we should live by His example. Jesus lived, loving God more than self (of that works when you’re one) and loving those around Him. He also gave the direction to His disciples to love, over and over again. Even when He didn’t use the word love, He describes actions that display love.
Love us so much He asked for forgiveness for those who didn’t know what they were doing. Forgiveness is a big thing that we need to learn.
Mr. T,
Yes, that forgiveness thing… Sooooo hard sometimes! Yet so important. Thank you!
Thanks, A!
Nicely put!
I agree with “A.” Yes and yes. Jesus, the source of truth and ultimate revealer of God’s will, said it and lived it.
Thanks R!
Yes he did “live it.” Sometimes it is hard to discern how what he said and did fits, but when we get our head looking at it the right way, it always makes sense.
Once again , well covered!
Ron,
I’ll try and make tomorrow’s question more challenging. 🙂