I have never lived on a ranch or owned a horse. I have watched many movies about ranches and cowboys who ride horses and train them. I am told that in order for a horse to be an effective worker it must first be “broken”, it must surrender its will and mindset to its rider / leader. To be broken means that the horse has learned that by yielding his own choices or will to the rider, he will be better off and will have a better, fuller life. Indeed, he will learn there is greater reward and satisfaction through surrendering to the rider, or the dominant member in the relationship. Surrender gets easier and more fulfilling as trust grows in the relationship.
Prayer, as we have previously noted is all about being in a relationship with God. He, being like a father with his child, is the stronger more experienced and knowledgeable one in this relationship. We have learned that we are loved as a child by our perfect Father, whom we learn to honor and adore. Because he is our heavenly Father he is above the insecurities and limitations of this world. So, we come to him confidently learning he is trustworthy, loving and without shortcomings or limitations. We make a request that Father’s will, his desires, his ways will be carried out and achieved.
When we pray for God’s will to be done, we are praying that, beginning with ourselves and also all others will surrender our wills, our desires, our ways to him. God makes known his will within each of us, his image bearers. It is an innate awareness of basic, fundamental truths, right and wrong, good and evil. Pray for surrender and allegiance to this innate knowledge of morality, which we know is good and right. When I surrender my will to his will, I find out, that, not only is his will always much better, but everything is better. When we yield and surrender to his will he blesses us with fulfillment and we begin to live without anxiety.
We learn how to discern God’s will by acknowledging the simple truths we all know, and we learn how to carry out or apply it by reading Holy Scripture. The Bible clarifies and illustrates the need for justice, showing mercy, the importance of protecting our neighbor and his life and property. Guarding and defending the truth, punishing evil is God’s will, so it is essential we pursue it, even settling aside personal preferences, yielding our will to his in the same way the angels in heaven surrender to God’s will and ways.
This third petition in the prayer Jesus taught, is a continuation of the first two petitions, and it serves to strengthen and develop our relationship with our heavenly Father. We are requesting that we live in such harmony with God that we are living in such a way that God’s desires are seen in the way we conduct our relationships and the manner in which we carry out our responsibilities. This is also a prayer that we will experience the same joyful delight in surrender and obedience as the angels do in God’s presence. This is what Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “Father, not my will, but your will be done”. The ultimate surrender to the will of our heavenly Father, enabled Jesus to confront the powers of hell, and having yielded his will, he triumphed over death, being raised from the dead. There is victory in seeking God’s will. Surrender to our Father’s will is a daily exercise and with it comes victory, even in the midst of struggle. “Father we pray, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Thanks for listening.