Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done…

Luke 11:1-2

 “Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” ² So He said to them, “When you pray, say:  Our^[a] Father ^[b]in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Jesus was praying and when He stopped, the disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray.  He praised God and states that His Name is holy, sacred, greatly revered and honored.  His Name alone deserved to be reverenced.  He gave Him praise for who He is and His Name. 

Jesus then invokes God’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  God’s will is being done in heaven and He is calling for His will to be done here in the earth.  So how can God’s will be done in the earth?  He surely could cause it to be so but He often chooses to work through people. In order to do so, we must surrender to His will. 

Yes, the topic for this month is surrender.  Surrender means to : to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand; to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another; to give (oneself) over to something (such as an influence). God is not trying to make you a slave or one without thoughts or feelings.  He loves you and has a plan for your life that includes what is best for you.  Surrender to God is trusting that He knows best and has your best interest at heart.  He knows what you need and how to bring His will for your life to pass.

Let’s face it, we do not always know what is best for us.  Why do I say that? Because even though we are aware of how we feel and what we would like to accomplish in life, we cannot see down the road to what is ahead.  We see linear and God sees the entire picture, He knows the end from to the beginning.

Jesus surrendered His will to the will of the Father so that we could be saved.  He endured great humiliation and suffering so that we could gain eternal life.  If Jesus had to surrender, so do we.  God does not make us do His will but He lovingly invites us to surrender our will, our choices, and our agenda to His.  Why? Because He knows the plans that He has for you…Jer. 29:11 those plans are to prosper you and not harm you.  He wants to give us hope and a future.  His plans are good and not evil.  A surrendered life is a prosperous life.

You may not see it now, but surrender will lead you to a lasting and wonderful relationship with God.  It builds trust as you walk out laying down your will to pick up His.  His will for you is preparing you to bear fruit and eternity. 

God has often asked me to go another way, give up my agenda in my career, leave a relationship, move to another state, or forgive someone that has wronged me.  I must admit that my first response in most instances was surprise, uncertainty, and sometimes fear. I often could not see why God would ask me to move, give up my career goals, or ask me to do something that I never dreamed to do.  He was asking me to allow Him to stretch me beyond the comfortable place that I wanted to be.  He needed me to take risks and to trust Him.  He was building my faith and proving Himself to me. 

God knows what I need, what concerns me, what He created me to be, and how He wants to take me from one place to another (glory to glory).  What I have found out in these years of building a relationship with God is that He is very capable of completing what He has started in me.  He has a wonderful plan for me and if I cooperate, I will reap the benefits and so will those around me. 

God’s will is what is best for us if we will receive His instruction.  My pray is that God’s Kingdom will come and His will done in my life and the lives of those I love and know. I surrender, Lord, to you and you alone.

Don’t be afraid, He will not leave you nor forsake you (Hebrew 13:5).  Surrender, and let His will be done in your life.  Be blessed.