Your Will Be Done

 "...Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  (Matthew 6:9-10).

These words are not unfamiliar to many.  It is the Our Father prayer that Jesus taught the disciples in response to them asking him to teach them how to pray.  I wondered for the first time about the words Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

For sure Jesus, who was praying to God the Father, was making it clear that the will to be done was not that of man's or the devil's but of God the Father.  It was not debatable or with room for many interpretations.  The will of the Father is the only will to be done.  

Now this might be easy to say in prayer if we want to be flip and robotic.  However, when we are sincere and truthful we realize that our own will surfaces to choke the words we are taught to say.  We are born willful and so to bend to the will of anyone else is hard at times for us.  

Jesus established that God's will was already being done in heaven.  Heaven represented the perfect, unchallenged, fully obeyed and revered will of God.  Earth, stained with sin and ruled by the prince of this age, challenged God's will.  However, the earth belongs to God and all the inhabitants within it.  His will will be done regardless of whether we are willing or not.  

The truth is that we cannot do it "My way" without bearing the consequences of that choice. Let us not be like Jonah who heard the voice of God and decided to do what he thought was better.  He ended up in the belly of a large fish, and had caused loss and anguish for those that were innocent of his decision.  I don't dare throw stones his way as I have done just as much.  

What we don't remember is that our very lives at such a time as this is in fact His will being  done.  Think about it for a second; You are the will of God here on earth.  You, born whenever, living wherever and looking however is apart of the will of God.  

God never makes mistakes and you and I being formed by Him are not the exception to that truth.  Therefore, we can see with fresh eyes our purpose here on earth - Ambassadors, Agents, Witnesses. The name we call it doesn't matter.  We are His masterpiece and as Jesus taught us, we should pray for His will to be done on earth through us and in us as it is in heaven.

That's fine

My grandson Rilley says things that often times has me laughing or in wonder at his wit.  He is three and had a recent encounter with his Dad.  To me it was the writing on the wall.  Okay, let me stop being so dramatic and get to the point.

Rilley asked his Dad to bathe him.  Unfortunately, his Dad was unable to do so as he was at that moment leaving the house.  The UBER was at the door and my son was not going to be able to do as requested.  So he tried telling Rilley that this was not possible.  Of course try reasoning with a three year old that already has their mind set on something.  

The pleading and begging was in full effect.  Neither one was about to back down from their stance.  I was thinking that the time it was taking to settle each one could have seen to the bathing and dressing of the child.  Finally, my son was asking for a hug so he could assuage his conscience and leave in peace.

Unfortunately he met his match.  Rilley was having no part in this attempt to say sorry (if that is what it was anyway).  He refused to hug him and instead said that's fine Daddy!  That's fine!!!  He would not budge and the back and forth began again.

"Rilley come give me hug good bye!"

"No Daddy, that's fine!" 

So it went on for a few minutes until I reminded my son of the waiting cab.

When he left we (my mom, sisters and I) stood around and just looked at each other.  How could this little thing born just a few years ago be so willful in holding onto his hurt and be so determined to not give his Dad he wanted?  How could his Dad not cancel the UBER and give his son a bath? 

I saw the writing on the wall...Time moves quickly and little boys become men quicker than we would like them to be.  No one has to teach us to hold our grudges; no one has to teach us to be selfish and willful.  We are born like that.  The echo of Rilley's "That's fine" was a testimony of the sin nature we have been born into and how badly we need Jesus.  We need him because truth is we are not fine.  Rilley was not fine and fell into a fitful sleep with his unwashed body. 

Just as he needed a bath we need a cleansing from our Father.  The good thing is this, He will always say to us "That's fine"  and cleanse us willingly.  We will never catch Him off guard nor will He ever be unwilling when we ask for Him to "bathe" us.  

God, please make us clean from the stain of sin.  Please help us to never look to men for our help but to You.  Lord you are what we need.  Thank you for the blood of Jesus that removes all our filth and leaves us with a newness that is beyond compare. In Jesus name, Amen.