Your will be done. What an easy thing to add to the end of a prayer, but how hard it is for us to sincerely mean it! I spent too many years worrying about God’s will for my life. I thought the definition of God’s will was that I pick the right career, right spouse, right area to live, right church to worship at, start a family at the right age, and live by the phrase ‘modest is hottest’. If I did these things I would successfully stay on the narrow path that is God’s will for my life and in turn, lead a happy life in which everything flowed smoothly. This mindset led to a life full of worry with tons of anxiety as big life decisions kept coming my way. What a relief when I realized that God doesn’t ask us to complete His will for Him! Over and over again He tells us that our job (His will for our lives) is to love Him and love others. What a concept! When we pray for God’s will to be done our responsibility is to go about our lives loving those we come into contact with and loving God by seeking Him for comfort and guidance in every situation.
Jesus made it clear how huge this is in Matthew 22:37-40, “37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Sincerely pray that God’s will be done in your life. When decisions and trials come, pray that you are so busy loving God by growing your relationship with Him, loving the people that you work with, live with, and even simply pass on the street, that you don’t spend time worrying about your own life. Pray that you start believing that God’s joy will shine through your life more and more by following these two commands.
John 15:1-17
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant[b] does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.