Thy Will be Done

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Colossians 1:3-14 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

 

We pray the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday at my church. I have to confess that it’s easy to recite with very little thought or meaning. But the Lord’s Prayer does have profound meaning for our lives. None more than the phrase, ‘Thy will be done’.

 

For Hillary Scott, these words mean a great deal. In 2016, she released a song titled “Thy Will” which she wrote after having a miscarriage. The lyrics reflect her struggle with trying to understand why God would allow such a loss in her life. During this difficult time, she frequently prayed ‘Thy will be done’.

 

Paul understood how important it was for the Colossian believers to know God’s will. False teaching had infiltrated the church. The teaching combined several religious beliefs and valued the accumulation of knowledge for the sake of knowledge alone.

 

In his letter to the Colossian church, Paul addressed this heresy. He pointed out that knowledge in itself was empty. To be worth anything, it must lead to knowing God and following His will.

 

To this end, Paul wrote to the Colossian believers that he had been praying for them. First, he prayed for them to receive knowledge and understanding. Not just any knowledge, but to know God’s will.

 

⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.        NLT

 

The second part of his prayer was for the Colossian believers to follow God’s will. In other words, don’t just seek head knowledge about God, but also know Him in your heart and show that through your actions.

 

¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.    NLT

 

Finally, Paul prayed for the Colossians to receive the strength to do God’s will. He realized that this is not something that comes naturally. But it would require the Holy Spirit to be at work in their lives.

 

¹¹ We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.         NLT

 

Sometimes in life, it takes a painful experience to bring us to that point of turning to the Lord and crying out, “Thy will be done’. For Hillary Scott, this happened when she approached the Lord in faith like a child on her knees.

 

I know you see me
I know you hear me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness you have in store

 

May ‘Thy will be done’ in your life and in mine.

 

Feel free to share this blog with others.

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

If you would like to listen to it, here is a link to the song “Thy Will”.

 Thy Will

 

 

 

Submit or Surrender?

James 4:1-10

 

No matter how you say it, if you submit or surrender to someone, it sounds like you’ve lost.

 

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?   James 4:1 NIV

 

My first year of marriage was very difficult. It was a battleground of wills over the smallest decisions. Do you fold your towel in thirds or half? Do you squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle or the end? Do you roll your toilet paper over or under? The battles seemed endless.

 

Each decision was a contest with the winner maintaining their position of power and control, while the loser took another step towards losing their personal identity. (In case you’re wondering, we will celebrate our 42^nd anniversary this week.)

 

The fact is that we all struggle with submission and surrender. It’s in our nature. Adam and Eve failed to submit to God’s will and it’s been like that ever since. Really it’s a matter of pride, and the symptoms are often visible through our attempt to control our world. Here’s an example.

 

Someone with an addiction, like drugs or alcohol, will use in order to feel better. In other words, it is their way of trying to control their world.  It’s the addict saying to God and to anyone else, “I can handle this myself thank you very much”.

 

That’s pride, and if we are honest with ourselves, our pride keeps us from submitting or surrendering to God just like the addict. In fact, you could say that we are addicted to sin.

 

God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.            James 4:6-8 NIV

 

Going into my marriage, I had the best of intentions to be a good husband and to have a wonderful marriage. But my pride and my sinful nature were working against my best desires. Nobody wants to submit or surrender.

 

It takes work to draw near to God. It takes an intentional effort. It doesn’t just happen. However, God’s word promises that if you draw near to Him, then He will draw near to you.

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you, or touched your heart through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)