Not my will but Yours be done

You are probably familiar with Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. When He cries out to God “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26v39 NIV). For Jesus that prayer lead to death on the cross. And it got me thinking. What would our lives be like if we made that our daily prayer? If every morning we got up and cried out to God “Father, today I ask that I would not do my will, but would carry out Your will for my life.”
Maybe we would spend less time watching silly reality TV shows that have no point to them, and more time out on the streets serving the poor. Maybe we would spend more money on supporting charities working to prevent the spread of HIV than on sweets and fizzy drinks. Maybe rather than watching that dodgy movie you would study God’s word. And maybe rather than clicking the link on the Internet that you know you shouldn’t, you would be using the Internet to grow in your faith.
For each of us that prayer will have different outcomes. In everyone’s life there is evidence of our will being done as opposed to God’s will. And the only way it will change is if we work at it. We aren’t going to suddenly wake up one morning and find out that all the desires that are opposed to God’s will have leapt right out of our minds. We need to work at it through prayer, through struggling to live as God wants us to do, and through not throwing in the towel when things go wrong.
Why do we need to make this our prayer? Because it is only by living out God’s will for our lives that we will be able to have the maximum impact from our life. God has a prefect plan, but it will only work with our co-operation. If we do it our way, the plan won’t be achieved, and the people we have the potential to help through our lives and actions may end up not getting the help they desperately need. So, whatever it entails for you, please join me in making your prayer for this week that God’s will, not your will would be done in your life!