Week 4 - Matthew 6:10b
"...your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
As I'm studying this passage this week, I'm shocked by the fact that Jesus teaches us to command God to do something in verse 10. We command God's kingdom to come and for his will to be done on earth as it already is in heaven.
WOW!!!
In its original language, the verb is an imperative. In other words, we don't petition God meekly for his will to be done. We boldly command for God's will to be done.
But there's a problem with praying this command. The problem is an issue of trust. Do we trust God's will enough that we would command for him to bring his will to earth?
In order to pray this prayer, there are two facets of God we must be able to trust. We must trust that God is good and powerful. For instance, if God is good, but he is not powerful, he has no ability to enforce his goodness. On the other hand, if God is powerful, but he is not good, there is no reason to trust God will use his power for good in the world.
The only way we can feel good about commanding God's will to earth is if we truly believe he is powerful and good. If we believe those things, there shouldn't be a hint of hesitancy in saying these words Jesus teaches us to pray.
As you dwell in Matthew 6:10b, here are a few questions to consider and comment on:
1) Has God proven himself to be powerful and good in your life? Why or why not?
2) Since heaven is God's domain where things are as he wills them, what would it look like for the church to pray for his will to be done? How would that change our priorities and activities, as a church?
3) What parts of your life still need to be turned over to the will of God? How will you seek to give those hidden parts over to God?
4) How do we determine God's will? Is God's will something to be sought out or something we already know to be true?
5) What are some ways that Christians (those committed to putting the kingdom on display to the world) might seek to implement this passage today in order to proclaim the good news in 2012?
I wanted to answer these questions that I have been dwelling on.
ReplyDeleteGod has proven to be good and powerful in my life in many ways. The one that speaks out to me now however is that the ONLY reason that I am still here right here and right now is because God showed me his power and his goodness. He found me in the quietness and dispare many years ago and wrapped his arms around me. Cloaking me and whispering to me that HE IS MY REASON FOR EXISTING. God saved me years ago, when I felt I had no other reason to live. BECAUSE God saved me I know that I can trust in His goodness and his power.
It has so many interesting possibilities when you consider COMMANDING God to have his will be done on earth. I think if we truly pray this prayer, then we will be RADICALLY transformed as a church. I believe that our focus would be so different. IF WE TRULY believed that God’s goal was and is to restore HIS kingdom on earth church would not be about worshiping God for the day we can see His face in heaven, it wouldn’t be about how “spiritually fed” I got at church this day but it would be an OUTWARD view, a view of where we CAN SEE his face daily. Church rather than being about “I, Me and My” as I believe it has become for many of us, it would be about “His” IT would be a place of openness, without fear of judgment, without fear of rejection. A place to come together in all our brokenness and weakness and to be restored, rebuilt, and sent out in SERVICE to Him and HIS WILL.
For me the biggest struggle I have is my desire to control. Whether it’s a lack of trust, or whether its simply habit it is HARD to relinquish everything to God. I struggle with this greatly, I want to be better at leaving EVERYTHING at his feet and depending, needing, and truly relying on HIM.
What is God’s will? Now this is a question I ask myself on a regular basis. Sometimes it seems so active so tangible that there is no question in my mind in that moment that yes this is God’s will for my life. Other times however, it seems that God’s will is something that is hidden, unknown, and distant from my life. I suppose in those moments its probably because I am not seeking or have not been seeking him as I should. I believe that we “KNOW God’s will…. It is a TRUTH we have been given through scripture he lays it out for us in some many ways, through so many scriptures about caring for the lost and the broken. We however, still need to seek HIM and potation him to BRING TO US or OPEN OUR EYES to those opportunities in our lives that he has given us to LIVE HIS WILL.
If we seek ways to follow God’s will by thoroughly changing our lives to be servant minded, to live lives as TRUE APPRENTICES to Christ I think we will continually be seeking ways to join one another in caring for the broken. Whether it be by getting involved in the outreaches and ministries that are already active, or whether it be taking the 5 extra minutes out of our day to tell someone that THEY MATTER…. God will bring to us ways to live this out, in EVERY MOMENT of the day if we just seek him.
I was very intrigued by your statement about trusting God. I would immediately say that of course I trust God. And I certainly do intellectually. It's what is hidden in my heart, sometimes, that becomes the problem. And, so it becomes that I know in my head one thing, but my heart feels something different. And, I have to admit, that I sometimes secretly think God makes poor decisions, and that can make it hard to trust. For example, when God takes a father away from a wife and 5 young children, and I know good and well that God could make a different decision, and thousands of prayers have been offered on his behalf, it seems like a bad decision to me. And so even though intellectually I know that I have a very limited perspective, and can certainly not see the whole picture as God can, my heart feels let down. So, yes, I know that God is good and powerful, and that he is smarter than I am. But I often feel like the man who cried out to God, "I believe. Help me in my unbelief." Because there is still a part of me that wishes that God would let me in on his knowledge and perspective, and I am frustrated when I don't understand. And when I don't understand, I struggle with 100 % trusting. I feel that I am only at 85 or 90% instead. A little part of me wonders...
ReplyDeleteThank you both for your comments! Your willingness to be vulnerable is a blessing to the conversation.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I can completely understand your struggle to trust God 100%. The longer you live, the harder it is to do so through the struggles of life. I still wonder so many times about his judgment. Thanks!
Jennifer, I am with you. It is so hard and so frustrating not knowing. When unexpected and horrible things happen, I also find myself wishing he would give me maps or a glimpse into his reasoning.... It is hard to see HIS PLAN..... and sometimes it seems it would be so much easier if I could just KNOW how things were going to work out. I just have to remind myself... HE DOES have a plan. but sometimes, it is totally hard to trust. That is something that I think I will be working on for the rest of my life :-) God bless you!
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