Matthew 6:9-13 (3)

Your will be done

One might want to stop here and have a deep theological discussion concerning the will of God.  Let us consider what almost certainly would be the conclusion of that potentially lengthy discussion.

·        God is the Sovereign, whose will cannot be broken or disappointed (Isa. 14:24).

·        God, in His Sovereign will, has made room for the sin and rebellion that is obvious on the earth.  Furthermore, He has made room for prayer and has in fact commanded us to pray.  Moses interceded for Israel and God repented or changed His mind. 

·        We have difficulty reconciling these but must understand that we are not required to understand all of God’s will but rather to pray that it be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

God's will is inscrutable, for no man may understand it, any more than he may comprehend the being of God himself (Job 9:10; Rom. 11:33).  Therefore, one must submit to God in reverent obedience, knowing that He does all things well (Isa. 45:12,13; Rom. 9:16-23). (W. Stanford Reid)

Having said that, we now need to know that Jesus is teaching us to pray that what God wants will be seen on earth.  We know that God’s will is revealed in Scripture and that we are first responsible to that.  His will is that we be …

·        Saved (John 6:38-40; 1 Tim. 2:3-7)

·        Sanctified (1 Thess. 4:1-8)

·        Serving Him (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1, etc.)

·        Suffering for Him (since that is certain on this earth, 1 Pt. 3:17; 4:19)

On earth as it is in heaven

This phrase likely describes all three requests to this point: for God’s name to be hallowed, for His Kingdom to come and for His will to be done.  So what is it like in heaven? 

·        His name is hallowed (Isa. 12).

·        His Kingdom has come; He rules unopposed.

·        His will is done to perfection. (Psalm 103:19-21)

As we pray we are praying for that same thing to be true on earth.