Scriptural Prayers - Not My Will but Yours Be Done 2
David W Palmer
(Luke 22:41–42 NKJV) And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, … “not My will, but Yours, be done.”
We already know the vast majority of God’s will for us; he put it in writing in his written word. For example, we know that we should love one another, look after the poor, widows, and orphans. God has given us many other directives in his word—including rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks (1 Thes. 5:16–18). We may even know the general call God has on our lives—preacher, evangelist, music, home builder, business, craft, trades, etc.—and have obeyed him in our preparation and current placements, etc.
But, even when we know the general will of God, we still need specific direction for the fine tuning of our unique personal call and assignment—especially at strategic times in our walk. This could range from what to preach next Sunday, where should I live, what car should I buy, how much should I give, what do I say in this conversation, to how do I approach my teenager, grandchild? etc. At these times and junctures, we like to hear what God’s will is so we have the ultimate wisdom to proceed safely and successfully.
We can intellectually grasp the truth that God’s intelligence and wisdom is infinite and that his love is pure and absolutely in control of his will. We can even fully believe that anything he says to us or guides us into is ultimately for our good; it will lead to blessing for us, our families, and him.
However, like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, even when we know exactly what God wants us to do, we may find it impossible to obey in our own strength and will-power. Our mind may know what we should do, but our flesh may simply say, “No, I don’t want to do that; I will not do that.” When caught in this dilemma, what should we do? How do we proceed in obedience when our mind, will, emotions, and flesh simply refuse? Is there a way forward without ending in full scale rebellion against God?
2. Grace to Do God’s Will When You Know What it Is
(Luke 22:41–42 NKJV) And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, {42} saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
I find this passage of great importance. Here, Jesus is obviously struggling with his natural aversion to death. He knows that Father’s will is for him to die as man’s ultimate sacrificial lamb, but his humanness sure didn’t want to. First he prayed and asked his Father if there was a way around this:
(Mark 14:36 NLT) “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. …”
But, despite this fleshly, aspiration-driven aversion, Jesus still wanted to do his Father’s will:
(Mark 14:36 NLT) “… Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
What happened next is so very important. Despite his flesh and emotions not wanting to die, our Lord still chose to confess his desire to do God’s will. This was necessary; it was prayer that opened the way for God’s help. As a result, we read:
(Luke 22:42–43 NKJV) “… not My will, but Yours, be done.” {43} Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.
The supernatural strength the angel gave Jesus enabled him to get up from that prayer and to calmly stay in control through his arrest, trial, mistreatment, wrongful conviction, and crucifixion. The Holy Spirit later says that it was God’s grace that empowered him to do his Father’s will so perfectly:
(Hebrews 2:9 NKJV)
