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"Your will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven.”(Matt. 6:10 NKJV)
(This is the fourth segment of The Model Prayer series.)

God’s will...in heaven...perfect; on earth...not so much.

What is God’s will?

God’s will is what He desires, purposes, and has determined to be done on earth. It is His established kingdom rule in heaven being accomplished on earth by, for, and through His people.

God reveals His will in several ways. One way He chose to reveal some of His will is in His Word. He first gave His revealed will to His people Israel through the Law as a standard of righteousness.

Believers in Christ are not under that Law, as Paul told the Roman church, “You are not under law but under grace.” (Rom. 6:14b NKJV) As God has offered us grace through Christ, He is now our ultimate standard of righteousness.

Do we truly seek God’s will and to live according to His standard of righteousness?

What are we not to do?

To stubbornly and arrogantly insist on our own way. Which means disobedience to God’s Word and His will. In the New Testament, the “self-willed” and “presumptuous” are those “who walk according to the flesh.” (2 Peter 2:10 NKJV)

Paul wrote to the Roman church about those walking in the flesh, “The carnal attitude sees no further than natural things. But the spiritual attitude reaches out after the things of the Spirit. The former attitude means, bluntly, death: the latter means life and inward peace. And this is only to be expected, for the carnal attitude is inevitably opposed to the purpose of God, and neither can nor will follow His laws for living. Men who hold this attitude cannot possibly please God.” (Rom. 8:5-8 Phillips)

What did Jesus say about doing His own will? “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” (John 5:30b NKJV)

Are we seeking our own fleshly will or God’s holy will?

What are we to do?

Scripture tells us...

* “...do the will of God with all your heart.” (Eph. 6:6b NLT)
* “For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35 NKJV)
* “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18 NLT)
* “He who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17b NKJV)

Just as Jesus, our nourishment “comes from doing the will of God.” (John 4:34 TLB)

Are we seeking the will of God with all our hearts?

What is the proper response of God’s people?

* To act with Godly behavior.
* To present our bodies as holy, living sacrifices to the Lord, not conforming to the world, and allowing the Lord to transform our way of thinking, as the Word says, “Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 NLT)
* To carry out what He reveals to us. The Word requires that we live “by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4 NLT)

Learning to let go of our tight rein on our lives is essential; handing the reins over to the Lord and His will may seem scary but being in God’s will is the safest place on earth.

Isn’t it more advantageous to be in agreement with His will?

“Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Eph. 5:15-17 NIV)

What is your response?

~~Lord, Your will be done!