Not My Will But Thine Be Done

Of all of the times I have heard someone say "Not my will buy Thine be done." I don't know if I have ever known that person to know what the Father's will was in the matter! What they seem to be doing is just resigning to a "whatever" sort of attitude, a sort of giving up any resistance to some inevidable outcome! One thing for sure, is they are not submitting to the will of God as in coming into agreement with any sort of revealed purpose.

We remember very clearly the story of Jesus in the garden on the night of His betrayal praying earnestly to His Father that the cup of suffering that He was to partake of would pass from Him, if there was any other way to accomplish this redemptive plan for mankind. The submission of Jesus to the will of the Father was summed up by His saying, "Never the less, not my will, but Thine be done."

Jesus knew what the will of the Father was! Jesus was actually praying that some other way of accomplishing the same outcome that bypassed His suffering, and crucifixion take place, but it was the will of the Father, and Jesus knowingly submitted Himself to that revealed will.

It is my firm belief that it was at that moment, that Jesus won the battle over any struggle otherwise. That is why He did not have to resist the guards when they arrested Him. That is why He did not have to consider responding to the accusations in that Kangaroo court. That is why He could stand silent before Pontius Pilate! That is even why He did not call 10,000 angels to rescue Him! When He prayed "Not my will but Thine be done." There was nothing that could have stood in the way after that from seeing the will of the Father carried out.

But suppose it was like it is for most people. Suppose He did not know what the will of the Father was. Suppose He just said those words submitting His will to the Father's without knowing that He was supposed to suffer and be crucified. Perhaps then, every opportunity that came for Him to escape from such an outcome would be considered. Is this the Father's will? Is THIS the Father's will? What about this?

Do you remember the story of the man who sat in his house when a storm came. The radio announced everyone to leave, but he said he would wait for God's will to be accomplished. Then the street flooded and he went on the roof, and a boat came, and he said he was waiting for the will of God to be accomplished. Then a helicopter came and he turned them away, and finally he drowned. When he met God face to face, and asked why God's will was thwarted, when he waited faithfully, God said well I sent the radio warning and the boat and the helicopter!

Unless you know what God's will is, then how can you pray "Thy will be done?" This came to light for me a number of years ago when I was talking with a dear lady whose grandchild had some serious medical problems. She said "Well, God's will be done". Well, all of a sudden the Spirit of the Lord rose up within me, and I asked her what was God's will for her grand child? She said she did not know. I told her that she had better find out! Perhaps she could discover that God's will was for that baby to live, and then she was to go to that room and speak those words of life over that baby! Perhaps all that was needed was for someone to declare outloud words of Life when all around the child they were speaking death. Go and speak with authority "You shall LIVE and not die! But speak it with knowledge of what the will of God is first!"

That is what the purpose of prayer is anyway! Prayer is not to get our wishes fulfilled, but rather to line up our will with His; It is for us to come into agreement with the plan and purpose of God, so that there is only ONE will, and we are ONE in mind and purpose. THERE is where the battle is won! There is where we can relax about the outcome no matter what it is. It does not have to appear as though it is the right way, or the best way.... I mean really... look at Jesus' last day's events. The fact is, that no matter how it looked on the outside, the end result is a perfect outcome in which all of the variables and options have already been considered, and there is no other way with a better permanent solution.

Think about that next time when events are transpiring, and you don't know what to do. Rather than haphazardly submitting to an unknown plan and purpose, find out what God's will is FIRST, then you can with trust, and faith, and peacefull assurance pray "Not My Will But Thine Be Done"