Your Will, Not Mine

“Your Will, Not Mine”

By Zach Wood

Matthew 26:39 NLT

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

There are a lot of desires that we have in life.  At different times of our lives, we desire to do various things.  Some of those things can be big and some can be small.  Regardless, we all have desires.  We have different opportunities that pop in life and we often need to make some tough decisions as to what to do next, whether it is getting married, having a child, taking on a new job or buying a house.  These are among some of the biggest decisions that we make in life. 

I hope that in all decisions you and I make, we bathe these things in prayer, asking God to give us wisdom and direction as to the best route to go.  Sometimes, the way seems very obvious, while other times not so much.  It can be very difficult to discern what God wants us to do, especially in the times when He seems silent and we are not feeling any clear direction at all.  It’s in those times that we must trust that He is still working, even though we can’t feel a thing.

We often fight selfish desires when we pray for God to guide us in life.  He definitely has our best interests at heart, but only He knows exactly what is best for us.  Sometimes, the best road for us will be a very challenging and often difficult journey.  We often want the way that will be less painful and full of happiness.  Who doesn’t want to be happy, right?  However, God’s goal is not for us to be happy, but for us to grow in our faith and trust Him at all times.  In our journey of life, we can still be happy because our life is in Christ. 

Jesus definitely had a hard choice to make when He was agonizing and facing death, through His prayers, in the Garden of Gethsemane.  This is one of the most pivotal struggles He had as the Son of God and as a human being.  He knew He had to give His life for us, but He also struggled deeply because of the pain and agony of the situation.  We can learn from His example He actually prayed for the possibility of the suffering to be taken from Him.  However, He prayed as well for God’s will to be done ultimately. 

What decisions are you facing in your life right now that you find yourself struggling just as Jesus did?  You have desires, but you also want God’s will for your life more than anything.  It is hard to ask for God’s will above what you want in your life.  However, the ultimate prayer for us is that God’s will be done in our lives so that He can lead us where He wants us.  Even if the path is unknown, we must be obedient and submit to Him sight unseen. 

Right now, in my life, I am struggling with direction.  I am learning that I need to pray for His will in my life, not just what I think is best or what I want to do.  I want His plan for my life to prevail and to lead me.  Many days, I don’t feel a clear direction, but I just need to continue trusting that He’s working and will reveal in due time. 

May our prayers always be “Not my will be done, but Yours, Father.”