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The Most Dangerous Prayer

3/6/2018

3 Comments

 
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You should never pray the Lord’s Prayer without considering what you're asking.  It’s the most dangerous prayer you can pray.   

Consider “Thy will be done.”   Jesus prayed this in a dark night of agony in a garden called Gethsemane.  Staring down the danger of devil and death, he fell to his knees and pleaded, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done”  (Luke 22:42). 

We often pray, “God, I want this . . . Now help me get it.”  Jesus’ prayer is the opposite, “Father, not what I want.  What do you want?  You have your way.  That’s what I want.” 

“Thy will be done.”  It’s a most dangerous prayer because Jesus prayed it and it got him killed.
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​The same will of God that meant mercy for us meant death for our Lord.  The will of his love is so determined that it chose his pain for our comfort, his sorrow for our joy.  

If you pray for God’s will to be done in your life, be careful.  Don’t pray it unless you’re ready for the response.  His will is likely different than your dreams and desires.  His will may lead into realms of suffering or struggle.  You may ask “Why?” and there may never be a satisfactory answer.  You will have to fall on faith's confession, "It’s simply his will."

So why pray these dangerous words?  We pray them because we trust his will.  The first word of Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane was "Father."  It's also the first word in the Lord's Prayer.  We trust God as Father, and believe his way is for our good.  His will is for our best.  We want his will because it’s better than what we could ask for or imagine. 

Pray this prayer in relation to all of the perplexing places in your life:

“Not my will, but yours, Lord.  You go first.  You have your way.”
 

What do you do when you struggle with your job?  It isn’t fulfilling.  You just clock in and clock out.  "Do I keep doing this?  Should I do something else?”  Pray, “Lord, I don't know which way to go.  I want to go your way.  Your will be done.” 

What do you do when your kids grow up?  There are bullies and mean girls.  There are opportunities for poor decisions and mistakes.  You could protect them when they were two, but not when they’re 12, 22, or 32.  Pray the dangerous prayer, “I've done all I can.  Thy will be done.” 

What do you do if you’re single and longing for a companion?  You’re tired of watching Netflix by yourself and making meals for one.  You grieve when other people have someone to come home to, while you return to silence.  Pray, “Not my will, but yours, Lord.  I know what I want, but I yield to what you want.  I will bear my pain, if only for you and your will.” 

What do you do when age wears your body down?  There are lots of miles on the tires.  There is pain and no relief.  Yield, “Not my will, but yours, Lord.  You go first.  You have your way.” 

What do you do when someone in your life is making destructive decisions?  Their self-absorbed actions hurt you.  You can’t change their behavior, or their heart.  You have no more options.  Pray, “Lord, I know my will for them, but I yield to yours.   I submit to your will for their life.” 

It’s a dangerous prayer, but we pray it because we trust his will.  He is the Lord of Good Friday and Easter, the God of suffering and salvation.  In the face of his will, our tin desires dissipate.  Our hollow wishes prove foolish.  He sees the end and the way out.  So we trust his will and pray, “Not my will, Lord, but yours.”
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Where do you need to set aside your will and your ways to follow his will and his ways?  ​
3 Comments
Kymberly
3/8/2018 09:53:37 am

Thank you.

Reply
Megan
3/10/2018 06:19:30 am

Thanks PJ. I've prayed this prayer a lot lately. I totally agree that it's dangerous, and that when you pray "your will be done," on some level, you need to prepare for the worst...suffering, loss, no explanations, etc. It is a strong prayer of faith to open yourself up to whatever hard things God might send us...to pray with Job "though he slay me, yet I will trust him"...to walk up Mount Moriah with Abraham and be ready to slay our own children.

I also think it's so important to emphasize the good that comes when we do this. In some ways, it's a dangerous prayer, but it's also the safest prayer we can pray, because we are safest in his hands, making ourselves open to his will. Because we are tightly held and infinitely loved by the Lord of the Universe. Because we are with Jesus. Because he is working incredible and surprising good for us in every situation. I used to think God asked us to kind of just grit our teeth and bear hard things. I now see that walking with him is the point, and being with him is where the good things are. Even if hard things are swirling around us. Circumstances will change and blessings will come and go, but if we have his peace and his presence...I'm finally coming to believe that life truly doesn't get any better than that.

Reply
Jeff Cloeter
3/10/2018 07:48:21 am

Amen.

I think the "danger" of God's will is that it is a sacrifice of our own will. That's what hurts. Not that his will is doom and gloom - it is ultimate joy and blessing - but that we have to grieve the loss of our own will, often bent selfishly. In this way, "Thy will be done" is a constant prayer of repentance. Confessing selfish will and yielding to the goodness of his will.

Thanks for your thoughts.

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  • Blog
  • About
    • Sixth Generation
    • Jeff Cloeter
    • If you're not a Christian . . .
    • Contact
  • Loved & Sent
    • Get The Book
    • Endorsements
    • The Stories
    • My Children's Book
  • The Daily Pattern