As a young believer in Jesus, I picked up my new devotional Bible and read a familiar Scripture: “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7). The commentary explained that what we really should be asking God for is our will to line up with His. By seeking for His will to be done, we would be assured that we’d receive what we asked for. That was a new concept for me, and I prayed for God’s will to be done in my life.
Later that same day, I became surprisingly excited about a job opportunity I’d already turned down in my mind, and I was reminded about my prayer. Perhaps what I didn’t think I wanted was actually a part of God’s will for my life. I continued to pray and eventually accepted the job.
In a much more profound and eternally significant moment, Jesus modelled this for us. Before His betrayal and arrest, which led to His crucifixion, He prayed: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Christ’s prayer was filled with anguish and agony as He faced physical and emotional pain (v. 44). Yet He was still able to “earnestly” pray for God’s will to be done.
God’s will in my life has become my ultimate prayer. This means I may desire things I don’t even know I want or need. The job I originally hadn’t wanted turned out to be the beginning of my journey in Christian publishing. Looking back, I believe God’s will was done.
By Katara Patton
REFLECT & PRAY
What prayer request is on your heart? What do you believe God is calling you to do?
In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose their own will over the will of their creator. God said, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:16-17). Their actions have affected all future generations.
The garden of Gethsemane is the second garden to have a universal impact on the course of human experience. There, Jesus was faced with a similar choice: do what seemed beneficial to Himself or submit to the will of the Father. Christ asked for there to be another way. But in a decision that would undo the rebellion of Adam and Eve, He submitted to God’s will and went to the cross (Luke 22:39-44).
J.R. Hudberg
Our mission is to make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all.
