Praying According to the Will of God
We had a church-wide prayer meeting this past Sunday evening. James mentioned a couple of things that resonated strongly with me, particularly as it relates the Lord’s will. His point, at least as I remember it, was that we too often couch our prayers with a “thy will be done” exit strategy. I’m not sure I remember his exact application, but it made me think of a time when I—along with a number of others—prayed for the healing of a friend. During our time of prayer, most of us prayed preemptively, as though preparing ourselves for the “No” answer. Things such “but not what we want, Lord,” and “but most importantly, be glorified in all of this,” and “even if you choose not to heal . . .” etc. And I wondered then, and still do, how much of this prayerful submission to God’s will was perhaps also a form of self-protection—an insulation from the disappointment that would come to us if God chose not to answer our request for healing.
I’m increasingly inclined to think our customary use of “thy will be done” is not consistent with it’s use in Scripture. What is the “will” that we are asking to be done here? To make my point, it will be helpful to distinguish between the two “wills” of God (a distinction made by many theologians, self included). The first is God’s ordained will, that which he has sovereignly ordained from the foundation of the world and which infallibly comes to pass. This aspect of God’s will cannot be known by mere mortals except in hindsight, or divine revelation. The second aspect of God’s will is his moral will, that which is in line with his character and heart. At times, there is tension between these two wills, for not everything that God has ordained via his ordained will is in immediate harmony with his moral will. The death of his Son would be a fine example. In and of itself, the death of Christ is not in keeping with God’s moral will. The Father takes no immediate pleasure in the death of his Son. Yet the Father set aside his moral will (for a season) in order to further his ordained will (which in turn ultimately furthered his moral will). So a certain event may be in keeping with God’s ordained will, but contrary to his moral will.
Most often, it seems that when we pray “thy will be done” we are incorrectly referring to God’s ordained will, his inscrutable decree ordained before the foundation of the earth. But this isn’t in keeping with Christ’s example in the Lord’s prayer. When Christ teaches us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” his underlying assumption is that we already know the basic contours of the Father’s will in heaven—blessing, righteousness, justice, mercy, peace, and the like. In other words, when Christ prayed “Thy will be done” he was referring to God’s moral will (that which is in line with his character), not his ordained will.
Of course we should always adopt a position of humility when making any request of God. He owes us nothing. And we should always keep in mind that God often chooses not to advance his moral will, for reasons only he alone can know. But biblically speaking, when we pray in the spirit of the Lord’s prayer “thy will be done,” what we are really asking for is our that prayer—in as much as it is in keeping with God’s moral will—be answered.
“God, I want to be free from this sin, and I know you want that for me as well. Please let your (moral) will be done in this matter.”
God, I want my marriage restored, and I know you want that for us as well. Please let your (moral) will be done in this matter.”
Father, I want to know you more deeply, and I know you want that for me as well. Please let your (moral) will be done in this matter.”
“God I want to be healed, and I know you want that for me as well. Please, let your (moral) will be done in this matter.”
So let us resign ourselves to God’s ordained will, but let us pray earnestly for the advancement of his moral will. Father, may your heart’s desire for healing, blessing, victory over sin, restored relationships, deeper intimacy with you—may all of these come to pass in the lives of your children. May your will be done!
Categorized as: Christian Life, From Gerald, Spiritual Disciplines, Theology
