Lord, Teach us to Pray

Once, Jesus disciples approached Him and asked that He teach them to pray. Jesus responded by teaching them the Lord's Prayer. There is much to learn in and about the Lord's Prayer. That's what we are continuing to do, looking at and learning from the Lord's Prayer.

"Your will be done on earth as in heaven,"
What is God's will? What does my Father want? Hasn't he clearly told me in his Word? Listen to his apostle Paul: "God . . . wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3,4). Clearly what my loving Father wants is for everyone to believe in Jesus and be saved eternally. There's more. "It is God's will that you should be sanctified," Paul also tells me (1 Thessalonians 4:3). My Father wants me to act like his beloved child. He wants me willingly and gratefully to do what he wants and to avoid what he does not want.

Unfortunately, not everyone wants what God wants. Not one day goes by when I don't tussle with enemies who bitterly oppose his will. Each day the devil takes his best shots at me, trying to damage my faith. Partnered with him is the sinful world in which I have to live. Like those poison packages we set out to eliminate mice, so the world strews its tasty morsels before me to thin out and even kill off my faith. And inside of me is the enemy I can never get away from. Daily, like some gasoline can, my sinful nature sits there ready to explode at the slightest flame. By myself I can't slow down, much less stop, these three bitter enemies of God's will. Left unstopped, they will kill me. That's why I pray this petition to my almighty, loving Father in heaven.

So what am I praying with this petition? First, I'm asking for God's saving power. At Calvary he gained the total victory. His Son's death and resurrection put Satan down for the count, the world in its place, and the padlock on my sinful heart. Each day he takes on those enemies of his will and with his power holds them at bay. If only I could see how often God keeps their vicious attacks away from me, I would use this petition more frequently to ask that he continue to do so.

Second, I'm asking for God's strengthening power. The gospel is his power unto salvation, not only bringing me to faith but keeping me in faith in Jesus. The gospel is his power, making his will my will and moving me to follow that will more in my daily life. When I pray, "Your will be done," I'm promising to turn to that gospel for his power.
Someday I'll join the saints and angels in doing God's will perfectly in heaven. Until then, I need to pray, "Your will be done on earth as in heaven."