We are looking at the passage here in Luke 11:1-13 wherethe Lord is teaching His disciples to pray. They had just heard the Lordpraying and they were prompted to ask Him to teach them to pray. I believe oneof the places you will be encouraged to pray is in a prayer meeting when youhear someone else really pray. Many people say prayers but ever now and thenyou get in the presence of someone who prays. Their prayer takes you into thethrone room in heaven and you smell the fragrance and sense the presence of theFather. That should be our desire, like the disciples, to pray like that! Topray God’s kingdom and will down from heaven to earth!
The second petition in the prayer concerns just that! “Yourwill be done on earth as it is in heaven”. From the Scriptures we canbelieve that God the Father’s will is completely and perfectly fulfilled inheaven. There is no bad in heaven only good. There is no sin in heaven. Every attributeof God, His grace, goodness, mercy, justice, kindness, holiness, righteousness andlove is there! Heaven is a perfectly wonderful place!
We have the opportunity to get a taste of that kingdom in heavenhere on earth when we are walking in surrender and submission to the will ofGod. And we have the privilege and responsibility to bring the fulfillment ofthat kingdom to earth when we pray for God’s will to be done on earth. Justlike we pray, “Your kingdom come”, we also pray, “Your will be done”. We desirefor God’s will to be fulfilled and complete here on earth just as it is inheaven.
What is the will of God? Now the Scriptures talk much aboutthe will of God. We don’t have to guess and speculate what the will of God is! Weknow it is God’s will for people to be saved! 1 Timothy 2:3-4 makes this veryclear: “whodesires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”. Peteralso reminds us of this truth about God’s will in 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is... not willing that any should perish but that all should come torepentance.”
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out!God’s will is for you to be saved. God’s will is for your family and friends tobe saved. God’s will is for everyone on the earth to hear of His greatsalvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Psalm 96:2-3: “Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. DeclareHis glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”
The “will of God” is the mind, heart, desire and passion ofGod. He has predetermined and planned that His purpose for mankind is for them,by faith experience His great salvation through the redemptive blood and cross ofHis dear Son. It is God’s will and plan for us to also participate in sharingHis glory with everyone. Ephesians 2:8-10 puts this together beautifully! “For we are Hisworkmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God preparedbeforehand that we should walk in them.”
God’s will is, not only that we are saved, but that we, asa beautiful masterpiece of His art, display through “good works” His love,grace, mercy, kindness, joy, peace and holiness to the world around us! Webecome like the “Good Neighbor” that Jesus talked about in Luke 10. In Ephesians5:15-20 we read this admonition: Thereforedo not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
It is the will of God that we are set apart for His holypurposes (1 Thessalonians 4:3). When this takes place in our heart and lives, youdon’t have to figure out the will of God is for your life, “you are the will ofGod” on earth as if already in heaven!
God bless!
