As
we are led into the last of the
three great state rooms of this
royal house of prayer, we find
ourselves in an awesome and holy
place, a place where we come face to
face with both the ecstasy and the
anguish of true godliness, a place
where heaven touches earth: 'Your
will be done on earth as it is in
heaven.'
As
if the rooms were linked by great
double doors, this petition is all
of a piece with the one before it:
'Your kingdom come.' It is found in
the early texts of Matthew's gospel
and some of those of Luke, and is an
outworking of the same principle:
that God's rule may be seen as we
live in practical obedience to our
heavenly Father's instructions and
guidance.
How then shall we pray it? How
should we apply it to the great
sweep of human activity here on
earth and also to our own particular
circumstances and concerns? We can
make this petition on many levels:
personally, locally, nationally and
internationally. It is a very
spacious room and from its windows
we can look out and pray for those
we love, our church and community,
our land and our world. The great
scenes of prayer are all here: 'Your
will be done.' But, first and most
pointedly, the challenge is to apply
it to our own lives.
It
is a prayer with both an active and
a passive side. Actively, we are
called to pray for God's overruling
hand on the affairs of this world,
that his will may be done. Actively,
we are challenged to pursue all that
is in accordance with his will in
our own lives and in the lives of
those for whom we are responsible.
Passively, we are called to accept
what is his will, even when it is to
our own personal discomfort or even
anguish.
In
heaven our Father's will is done
gladly, willingly, completely and
joyfully - may it be like that on
earth. May there be a foretaste, a
'touch of heaven' about our lives,
our decisions and our communities
here and now under the pressures and
in the cut and thrust of earthly
living.
Firstly, personally and actively:
'Your will be done. May the way I
live, all that I do and say be
pleasing before you.'
The Lord is our pattern, he did as
he taught. This petition is not
just, 'Do what I teach.' He did it,
lived it and fulfilled it: 'My meat,
my essential food, my first priority
is to do the will of him who sent
me.' What he said, he said as from
the Father. What he did, he did to
please his Father.
Here, then, is the all-embracing
prayer for those who would follow
the Lord Jesus, for those who really
want to love God with all their
heart, mind and strength.
It
is a prayer for every stage of life.
When we are young it is our parents
who make the decisions. So parents
might well pray, 'May your will be
done as we bring up these little
ones, teaching them love, discipline
and right from wrong.' As we get
older we start thinking for
ourselves about, for example,
schools and particular subjects for
study and so youngsters and parents
begin to share the decisions. 'May
your will be done, may your guiding
hand be on our thinking.'
With growing independence,
'Your will be done,' will work
itself out in prayers like these:
'May my relationships with the
world around me be honouring before
you.'
'May I view its resources as a
trust to be valued, used and handed
on, rather than to be selfishly
exploited, polluted and destroyed.'
'May my treatment of animals
be kind.'
'Show me the deep and hidden
prejudices of my heart so that my
treatment of my fellow human beings
from different groups and cultures
may be fair and just and pleasing
before you.'
'May I constantly seek to use
my days as you would wish me to.'
'May my work be done in a way
that pleases you.'
'Your will be done, today -
even Monday morning! - at work, at
college, at home.'
Work and money, love, sex,
marriage, family life and leisure,
attitudes to the world and people
around us, they are all here!
'Father, may we learn your
right way and live in a way that
pleases you.'
In the light of scripture, with its
warnings, instructions and commands,
this petition, 'Your will be done,'
enables us to examine ourselves. It
is like one of the great wall
mirrors so characteristic of stately
homes. Here, as it were, is a mirror
in which we can see ourselves as God
our heavenly Father sees us. As we
look we are brought face to face
with a reflection that challenges us
and gives us an opportunity to put
right each part of our lives before
him.
Secondly, our Father's will for our
lives accepted - the passive aspect
of this prayer.
What a marvellous but terrifying
pattern was set by the three Old
Testament friends of Daniel. As a
public test of loyalty to the state,
we read that they were required to
fall down and worship
Nebuchadnezzar's great statue.
Although they were the king's loyal
subjects, in utter loyalty to the
Lord God they were willing to face
even death rather than offer such
false worship. Their response to the
king has much to teach us:
'Our
God is able to deliver us from the
furnace, and we believe he will, but
if not, let it be known to you that
we will not serve your gods or
worship the golden image.'
The
three short words, 'But if not,'
tell us that their stand was no mere
fleeting act of rash bravado but a
terrifyingly courageous submission
to the will of God, to whom they had
pledged their total loyalty. 'But if
not,' words echoed by the Lord
himself in the garden of Gethsemane
as he faced the double agony of the
cross. He knew full well that his
Father was able to save him from
that hour, yet he prayed,
'Nevertheless, your will be done.'
As he looked ahead to the agony of
the cross, our Lord taught his
disciples to pray, 'Your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven.'
To do his Father's will was his
constant aim and joy, as it can be
for us, but in Gethsemane it was his
agony, his passion.
Jesus knowingly set his face to go
to Jerusalem. Events did not
overtake him, he was not swept by
overwhelming circumstances to his
death. He came, as he had said, to
do his Father's will. From the
beginning he had accepted that this
would mean his death. On several
occasions he had taken the disciples
aside to warn them of it, and yet
humanly he shrank from it. 'Father,
if this cup can pass,' - the agony
and the anguish of it - 'let it
pass, but if not, may your will be
done.' Our Lord accepted his
Father's will, submitted to it,
despite the suffering.
Locally, we have been called as a
church to pray for a whole series of
very sick people, called to pray
that God in his mercy would restore
them to health. In praying that his
will be done we have needed to be
ready to accept what comes from the
hand of our loving heavenly Father,
be it life and health or sickness
and death.
Humanly, the Lord Jesus shrank from
the cross. Humanly, we would hold on
to those whom we love. How hard a
lesson to learn: 'Nevertheless, your
will be done.'
John
Calvin as he lay dying said: 'You
are slaying me, Lord, yet it is
enough for me to know that it is
your hand that is slaying me.' Here
is the way to pray, passively, 'Your
will be done.' For even through
sickness and in death we can bring
honour to his name.
If we begin to pray it with
understanding, we will find this
great state room of the Lord's
Prayer distinctly challenging and
uncomfortable. It has within it a
great reforming principle which, if
really worked out rather than just
repeated, will change our thinking,
speaking and way of living. It will
begin to make us Christ-like, holy.
'Heavenly Father may we not only
hear the beautiful words of this
prayer, but follow them, obey them,
shape our living and our dying
around them.'
References
'My
meat is to do the will' - John 4:34
'Our God is able' - Daniel 3:16&17
'Nevertheless, your will be done' -
Luke 22:39-42
Questions
1
What is meant by the active and the
passive sides to this petition?
2 In what sense is the petition,
'Your will be done,' the all
embracing prayer for disciples?
3 In what ways does the petition
touch our everyday living?
4 How hard is it to accept the will
of our heavenly Father when it is
not to our comfort or to the comfort
of those we love?
5 How much is the petition, 'Your
will be done,' reflected in our
Lord's own life, ministry and death?
6 To what extent should this
petition shape our own living and
dying?
Your
will be done on earth, continued . .
. the great principle of godly
government
As
we look at this great petition, we
must begin and end with personal
holiness of living, living a life
that is worthy of the gospel. And
yet, perhaps, like a guest in a
great house, caught and challenged
by our reflection in a great mirror
we move rapidly out of its range to
the comfort of a great window where
we can look out on the world. The
view is far less personal and far
less threatening!
Clearly, in heaven God's will is
done willingly, gladly and joyfully.
May it be like that upon earth. May
our national and international
policies, laws and treaties be
godly. May they have about them a
touch of heaven.
The
apostle Paul urges us to pray widely
and especially for kings and those
in authority. When we hear that
leaders of great nations are meeting
to work out treaties, to hammer out
understandings, or to work out a
common approach to a rising evil -
we are to pray. We are to pray that
the Lord's will might be done; that
the agreements might be just and
based on honesty and integrity and
that they might be pleasing before
him.
Our heavenly Father is able to
overrule the activities of quite
unbelieving men and women. In the
Old Testament we read of Cyrus, who
cared nothing for God, and yet he
was God's chosen instrument. It is
not Washington, Beijing, Moscow nor
any other human power centre that is
in ultimate control. It is the
Sovereign Lord who is in control. As
Nebuchadnezzar had so painfully to
learn, 'The Most High God rules in
the affairs of mankind.' He is God;
he reigns.
We
are called to pray, 'Your will be
done, knowingly or unknowingly, in
international affairs.' Read the
newspapers, watch the TV and pray,
'Your will be done on earth.'
We
live in a fallen world where, from
time to time, men and women with
fearful ambitions will arise to
crush and conquer those around them.
We are only safe when the godly are
most mighty. We are only safe when
the greatest power is in the hands
of godly people and godly nations.
Only then can wild and destructive
men be restrained. Only then can we
live in safety, for, although they
may make many mistakes, godly men
and women can be trusted to use
their power against an oppressor and
trusted also not to use it for
aggression, ambition, or greed.
Thank God for the peace we enjoy and
pray for godly government and godly
ways at every level of society. For
on God, and on his good hand on all
those entrusted with authority,
depends the well-being of our nation
and, indeed, of our world.
Thomas Cranmer and his fellow
compilers, with brilliant spiritual
insight, taught us to pray for those
in high government office just along
these lines. He taught us to pray
that they might faithfully and
impartially administer justice for
the restraining of all that is evil
or corrupting and for the support
and encouragement of all that is
godly and excellent.
That they may truly and
indifferently minister justice to
the punishment of wickedness and
vice and to the maintenance of true
religion and virtue.
The old words sound hard in our day,
and yet they carry the seed of all
that it means to really pray, 'Your
will be done,' throughout every
level of society.
Modern thinking concerning
government is that it should always
be morally neutral, not adjusting
punishments and rewards to restrain
evil and corruption and promote the
good and godly, but simply to
provide the necessary support to
enable its citizens to enjoy a free
choice of lifestyle, godly or
ungodly, moral or corrupt. As a
direct result of abandoning the
biblical perspective of the
God-given privilege and
responsibility of government, well
intentioned modern governments
actually find themselves presiding
over the moral collapse of society.
We need to recapture the biblical
perspective so beautifully taught in
these few words; words from the
prayer for the church in the 1662
Prayer Book - a prayer all but
forgotten by the modern church.
It
takes some unpacking because both
the language and the times have
changed. The little word 'truly'
carries with it the biblical
understanding that those set in any
position of authority are answerable
to God for their decisions and
actions. They are not free agents in
a position of power by chance, there
to deliver their own opinions and do
what they will. They are agents of
God, put in that position of
authority to look after the best
interests of those for whom they are
responsible. Here is a prayer that
those placed by God in any position
of authority might discharge that
responsibility faithfully before
him.
When
we use the word 'indifferent' we
mean we do not care either way about
some matter. But in Cranmer's day it
meant even-handedness, showing no
difference between rich and poor,
strong and weak as justice is
administered. It is a prayer for
fairness, impartiality and equity.
And rightly so, for always the
temptation is to be partial; to have
one kind of justice for the prince
and quite another for the pauper.
The temptation is to caution the
well-spoken driver of an expensive
car and fine the leather-clad motor
cyclist. There is great pressure to
take note, as we are wined and
dined, of the skilful presentation
of the powerful business concern and
overlook the simple letter of an
ordinary person who is being crushed
or abused by that concern in its
pursuit of financial gain.
Here
is a prayer that those appointed to
administer justice might do so
impartially before God.
'To
the punishment of wickedness and
vice.' That sounds harsh to our
ears, and perhaps 'punishment' is
too narrow. However, one purpose of
government is to restrain evil; to
associate some kind of high cost
with wrong doing and so make evil
more difficult to practise. This can
certainly be done by fining or
locking people up. But it can also
be done by the passing of laws which
so balance the rewards as to make it
less desirable to practise life
styles that would, directly or
indirectly, wreck or undermine
society. Here is a great principle
of government: to restrain evil.
And
vice? Vice is all that would corrupt
and break down our society, all that
would undermine godly living. The
words 'vice' and 'corruption' have
almost lost their meaning in our
tolerant but ungodly society where
all kinds of morality and immorality
are accepted side by side.
In
our pursuit of individual, adult
freedom are we not increasingly in
danger of failing to protect
vulnerable groups? We have, for
example, all but removed legal
protection for the unborn child. We
are in danger of repealing laws that
would protect young people from
sexual exploitation. And by allowing
parenting partnerships to become so
casual, we have exposed a great many
young people to abuse either in the
home or, as they flee from it, on
the streets. Those in high places
are called to restrain those who
would exploit others and to protect
the vulnerable.
'And
to the maintenance of true religion
and virtue.' There is a negative,
restraining role of government and
there is also the positive
maintaining and supporting role, the
helping forward of everything that
is truly good and godly. Not,
notice, necessarily the support of
great church schemes and structures
but rather the maintaining of true
faith and godliness among the
people.
The
role of government is also the
support and encouragement of all
that is good and excellent, noble
and true in society. It is to
support and help forward the best,
for example, of business practice,
medical practice and educational
practice as well as to support the
best in social practice and family
life.
There are godly members in our
Parliament who realise that the
traditional family is under great
pressure, is penalised by our tax
and benefit laws. They are concerned
about it because it undermines
society, so they work and speak to
put this right. Thank God for such
men and women.
'Your will be done in terms of our
national laws.'
But it comes closer to home than
this, for most of us will find
ourselves, at one time or another,
in some kind of position of
authority where we must 'govern' in
the broad sense of this word. We
govern as we play our part as a
parent, committee member, teacher,
leader, shop-steward or manager. In
each situation we are called to be
faithful and impartial, to cast our
vote and to do all in our power to
restrain evil and promote good and
godly ways.
So finally, to the root and source
of the whole matter: 'Your will be
done in our own lives.' We begin and
end here because, frankly, this is
the most difficult - to actually
govern our own public and private
lives before God determined to
restrain evil and to pursue
everything godly and good. How can
we play our proper part before God
in our family, church, society or
nation until we begin to govern
ourselves?
King
George VI was one day quietly asked
if he was one of the Lord's people,
and His Majesty willingly answered
for both himself and his Queen to
the effect that they did indeed
honour the Lord and sought to shape
their way of living by his word.
There was the King graciously
confessing the faith. What a King!
Here is the key question; could we,
too, confess that faith? For here,
within ourselves is the primary
battle. Only by the grace of God can
we begin to live a life that pleases
him, or even wish to do so.
The
Ten Commandments, brushed aside in
our own day, have been given to tell
us the things that God hates in
order that we may recognise them
and, by his grace, restrain
ourselves. God calls us to restrain
ourselves from idolatry, theft,
murder, adultery and from that envy
of other people's privileges,
possessions or power that is
coveting. A tendency towards these
things comes all too easily and
naturally to us. The commandments
have been given to show us what our
heavenly Father longs to see. They
are given in order that we may
recognise our failure and turn to
live in a way that pleases him. If
we would 'govern' ourselves before
him we must learn to restrain the
evil in our own lives and to pursue
all that is godly, noble, excellent
and worthy of following.
These things are basic. As we begin
to put these things right before our
heavenly Father then, imperfect
though we are, we can begin to step
out and play our part for the honour
of his name at every level of
society; parent, manager, statesman
or monarch.
Are
we willing, faithfully and
impartially before God, to play our
part? Are we willing to stand
against all that is evil; all that
would undermine or corrupt, and to
promote and support all that is
godly, honourable and excellent? Are
we willing for his holy ways to
control our own living and speaking:
at home, at leisure and in our
business, social and political
lives? Do we really want his will to
be done on earth as it is in heaven?
The Lord's Prayer is perhaps not the
charming prayer we thought it was!
Whatever our position in society, it
is an invitation to walk in very
uncomfortable places!
'Father, grant us wisdom and courage
to stand for you. May "your will be
done" not only by our passive
acceptance of your will but also by
our active standing against evil,
and by our pursuing of all that
would bring glory to your name and
of all that would further the
well-being of those around us.'
References
Pray
for kings and those in authority - 1
Timothy 2 :1&2
Cyrus, God's servant - Isaiah 45:1-6
'The Most High God rules' - Daniel
4:24&25
Questions
1
How important is it for disciples to
read the newspapers or watch the
news and pray, 'Your will be done'?
2 What lesson did Nebuchadnezzar
have to learn?
3 'We are only safe when the godly
are most mighty.' What happens when
evil people are most mighty: a) in
the household, b) in the classroom,
c) in the neighbourhood, d) in the
courts of law, e) in the nation, f)
in the world?
4 Do modern governments pass laws
that steadily restrain evil and
promote good?
5 Can you think of groups of
vulnerable people who need to be
protected by law?
6 If a government aims to maintain
godliness is there a distinction to
be drawn between upholding 'church
institutions' and promoting true
godliness of living? (Could this
have been the basis the clash
between the scribes and pharisees
and Jesus?)
7 Can rewards and penalties be
rightly used to encourage good and
godly ways?
8 There are many levels at which we
can be given authority, called to
'govern' - from looking after a
younger brother for half an hour to
being a world statesman. At what
levels of 'government' are we
personally involved? Can the
principles set out in this chapter
be applied to each level?
9 It is not popular to think of
governing and restraining ourselves.
However, do disciples of Christ need
to recognise their weaknesses and by
the grace of God be restrained
gossips, thieves, cheats, liars,
adulterers etc.? For by nature are
we not capable of such things?
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