Jesus has given a magnificent model of prayer to us. This prayer begins with three expectations rising out of our personal faith in our Father in heaven. First, there is an expression of desire to see the name of the Father honored. Second, there is an expression of desire for the kingdom of God to come to earth. Third, there is an expression of desire for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. This desire for God's will to be done on earth means that we believe several things. We believe, first of all, that God has a will. He has a plan for His creation that He is working out over the course of human history. This plan involves the decisions, actions, and intentions of sinful beings. Because of our sin, we are very much ignorant of His will for us, and often opposed to it. We are often more concerned about our own will than God's. Secondly, we believe that the sin of man will not hinder the will of God from being done. Thankfully, God is able to accomplish His will in spite of our ignorance and rebellion, and will ultimately triumph over it. We pray for God's will to be done because we believe He will overcome the evil forces at work against Him. Thirdly, we believe that God's will is very good. What He wants is always what is best for us and for everyone else. If we doubted this goodness, we might wish for His will NOT to be done. Jesus believed entirely in the goodness of His Father's will. He did whatever the Father wanted even if it involved suffering. Because He had no sin, He did not hesitate to obey, and never doubted the goodness of His Father's will. Even though our sin may hinder us from obeying like Jesus did, we believe in the goodness of the Father's will. We have come to trust in His will rather than our own. We want to show that His will is good, acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2). We believe, finally, that God's will is currently being carried out by both holy and sinful beings. Consider how God's will is done by the angels of heaven. They are His perfect servants. Whatever He commands, is done by them willingly, joyfully and immediately. They have absolute confidence in the wisdom and will of God, so there is no hesitation on their part. They obey immediately, and they rejoice in what God is doing. They have no sinful desires that hinder their ability to do His will. In contrast, consider how God's will is being done by the people of earth. Those who don't believe in Him resist, rebel and reject His revealed will for them. Even those who DO believe in Him struggle to understand His will, hesitate to carry it out, and are often tempted to doubt the goodness of it. Because of sin, believers are conflicted within themselves. They have a will of their own which is not always in perfect harmony with God's own. So, we see that God's will is done on earth much differently than in heaven, but our belief and strong desire is that, someday, we will be able to carry out His will just as it is done in heaven. We want to obey and carry out the will of God just as it is carried out in heaven. So, let us pray that our Father's will be done on earth just as it is in heaven. Let us pray this because we believe in His will, we believe that His will is being done in spite of sin, we believe that His will is good, and we believe that someday it will be done on earth just as it is done in heaven.
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