Thy Will Be Done

I learned the Lord's Prayer when I was very young. I have said it over and over in my life. But not until recently did I start to "really" understand what it meant. The part that always sticks out in my mind...

Thy Will Be Done.

Do you understand the meaning of that sentence? Thy will....HIS...not ours. That can be so hard for us here on earth. I have a very hard time letting HIS will be the one that gets done. I have a terrible habit of turning and twisting things into my own will. We tend to fight things that happen in our lives all because we are afraid of the pain and suffering that will come if we don't. After bad things happen, we try to "fix" them. Most of the time in my case, I make things worse. I am not much of a handyman. I keep going back to the verse...Be Still and know that I am God. Because in times of struggle and sadness, sometimes still is exactly what we should be. Instead of scurrying around trying to fix and mend, we need to endure the pain and suffering to truly learn what God is trying to teach us.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed...

"My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Matthew 26:39 NIV

How many times have we prayed that prayer? I know personally? It comes quite often. We may not ask him in those words, but we say things like...

Please Lord, don't let this happen. or Lord, I am begging you to save this or that.

Our prayers are genuine. When we struggle...we are begging for him to come in and show us his almighty power. And when those things we pray for go unanswered, we might get upset with him. I know I have. I have begged him for things before...and the next day I find my request unanswered. I view that as "overlooked". How do you think Jesus felt that night in the Garden? In the absolute worst night of his life here on earth, he requested and God immediately did...nothing.

Jesus endured suffering that is beyond comprehension for us...AFTER he had prayed to God to make it stop. But did you hear the words he said after he asked for God to take the suffering away? Yet not as I will, but as you will. Thy will be done.

Jesus neck deep in rubbish. That's how I would have described the scene. But that's not how Jesus saw it. He saw something else entirely. He wasn't oblivious to the trash, he just wasn't limited to it. Somehow he was able to see good in the bad, the purpose in the pain, and God's presence in the problem. Max Lucado~Just Like Jesus

It is almost impossible for us to see the purpose in the pain. Pain can be unbearable. Pain can be unexplainable. But pain and suffering are not without purpose.

Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And HOPE does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

I just used this verse the other day, but it is so appropriate for today's devotion. Without suffering, there is no hope.

Bring the rain, by Mercy Me is one of the best songs to describe today's devotion...listen, pray and know that even though God may not give us the answer we are begging for...he knows.

Happy Friday!
Amy