Praying God's Will

Introduction: One of the challenges of parenting is when those cute little babies turn two. Sometimes it is referred to as the “terrible twos”. The reason it is such a challenge is that baby learns that it has a will and that will stands in opposition to the parents. This is the basic conflict of the teen years and it often comes down to a battle of wills.

I. The Uniquely Human Will
It is our human will in conjunction with our intelligence that makes each person unique. Sometimes our will is directed at our self. We talk about a person being self-willed in a negative sense. That person seems only interested in themselves and their needs. We all are like that sometimes, some most of the time. But self-will is not necessarily bad. We need to be concerned about our needs. A person who feeds others and yet starves to death would be considered foolish. Will allows us to say “no” to things that are not in our self-interest.
But will also allows us to defer our own needs for the sake of others. The needs of a child may cause us to choose those needs over our own. Much of the time our will is constrained by others and by circumstances but in the end we choose how we will respond.

It is will that in many ways makes us human, makes us different from the animals. Within the constraints of life we have choice. What will we choose? Much of the time we can predict what a person will choose in various circumstances. Wives and husbands do this all the time. “Does Larry want tea, water, or pop?” “Oh, I’m sure he will want water.” Then I come along and ask for pop. Diane is right most of the time about what I will choose but every now and then I surprise her. Human will makes us unpredictable.

Jesus had a human will. We see that will in conflict with the world around him. Just like us, people wanted him to be what they desired. Some wanted him to be a king. Others wanted a vending machine type messiah who would fill their physical needs. Jesus was a king but a king unlike any other king in history. Jesus did meet the needs of people but not the needs they wanted fulfilled.

II. The Will of God
Our will is part of the image of God. Like us God has a will, a purpose. As maker of heaven and earth God’s will cannot fail, it will be accomplished. God states this in Isa. 46:10. The will of the almighty God cannot be thwarted and yet we see things contrary to God’s will all around us. If God did not place limits on his will then we, and our world, would be nothing more than complex robots. There was a movie remade recently called “The Stepford Wives”. This was a community where wives were replaced with robot wives obedient and uncomplaining to their husband’s whims. There are some who probably think this would be an ideal situation but I think it would become very boring very quickly. God did create a world where things other than his will could be done, where human beings made in God’s image have will.

What is God’s will that will be accomplished? The goal that God is moving toward is redemption of all creation and in particular human beings. We often look at salvation as just involving people but scripture sees redemption in terms of the whole creation, Rom. 8:20-21.

But God has a specific goal for us as human beings. If you want to know what God’s will is for your life then it can be put in very simple terms, he wants you to be like his child Jesus. Paul put it simply in Romans 8:29. Our destiny is to be changed and become like Jesus. That is God’s will. God of course is not looking for clones; he is looking for obedient children. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray that “God’s will be done” he also prayed that in his prayer life. Being obedient to God’s will was a prime attitude in Jesus’ life. Even in his deepest crisis, as he faced death on a cross, he prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as you will”, Matt. 26:39.

III. Praying God’s Will
It seems that God’s will and the will of many human beings are in conflict and that may be why Jesus taught his disciples to pray “your will be done.” The conflict of wills is seen throughout the life of Jesus. People wanted Jesus to be something other than what God wanted Jesus to be. Many wanted a king, others a prophet, still others a miracle worker who would meet their needs. Peter stood in opposition to God’s will in Matt. 16:21-23.

We also struggle with God’s will and the will of those around us. People want us to be different things to them and God may want something else entirely. People often ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” I imagine we have all asked that question at some point or another. Most of us want to do God’s will, as long as it pretty much is what we want to do also. I differ from some people who seem to think God has one way he wants you to follow. I believe there are many things I could do that would serve God within his will. Some of those ways have greater blessing in them than others but all are in service to God. There may be times when there is a specific thing God desires me to do but most of the time I believe we have a range of choices that are within the will of God.

A better question to ask ourselves is, “Will this decision contribute or hinder my transformation into Jesus likeness?” One of the popular catch phrases for Christians is, “What would Jesus do?” But we may be better off asking, “What would Jesus be?” What would he be as a father or mother? What would Jesus be as a student? What would Jesus be as a business person? As an engineer? As a lawyer or doctor?

We do need to pray, “God, your will be done.” But even as we pray it we should be looking for the will of God. He will show us what he wants us to become, in fact he already has.


Livonia Church of Christ: August 21, 2005