God’s Will And Ours

Matthew 26:39 & 42 (NIV)—

‘Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'…. He went away a second time and prayed, 'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’

The prayer that Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane is one of the most famous prayers ever. Not my will but yours be done. But Jesus doesn’t start with the same prayer that we see him end with. He starts by praying that if it’s possible, might he not have to go through with death on the cross. 

But as Jesus continues to pray and to keep coming back to his father, we see his prayer begins to change. After the third time of prayer, Jesus leaves the garden choosing his father's will, ready to go through with the Divine plan.

Often I find myself coming to pray with an agenda or my ideal outcome. Sometimes it is what God wants for my life or the life of someone I know or the situation I'm praying for. But sometimes God has other plans. At this point, our desires aren’t matched.

Ultimately, we know that Jesus is able to leave Gethsemane with a will that is aligned to God’s - because he trusts his father.

The more time we spend with God, the easier it is to trust him. Even for Jesus, he had to keep going back to his father before he could go and fulfil his mission.

As we spend time getting to know God’s character and resting in the deep love that he has for us, the more we’ll see our prayers and desires align with his will. Even if it’s not what we expected or what we initially wanted, we can trust that God’s will for our life is far better than any plan we could formulate ourselves. 

Prayer — Thank you Jesus, that you are constantly moulding and shaping us. Thank you that you always know what is best. Help me to walk in your will for my life.