CS Lewis once said, “There are only two kinds of people in the end; those who say to GOD ‘Thy will be done’ and those to whom GOD says, in the end, ‘thy will be done.’”God is eternally holy and good, and He eternally rules in absolute sovereignty. To pray your kingdom come acknowledges this truth and declares that the petitioner is accepting the fact that God is eternally sovereign over all things. Acknowledging God’s kingdom rule over all things also leads to God’s sovereign rule in your life. It is a complete prayer of submission to the wants of God to be done in all circumstances.

Here is the rub, what do we do when God’s will is in conflict with our will? How do we handle the will of God when God’s will leads to suffering? We want the will of God when the will of God benefits us and blesses us, but we push back against the will of God when the path of His will leads to pain and loss.

In order to pray, “Thy will be done,” we must first understand that fundamentally the will of God is good, pleasing, and perfect. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NASB95) Second, we must also understand that the will of God leads to the consummation of this present age and the establishment of the eternal kingdom of righteousness, where sin, sorrow, and suffering are judged and cast away. Third, we must understand that the will of God is based on His righteousness and love for us.

Ultimately the desire of God is the redemption of mankind if man will accept His will in their life. Consider Peter’s words, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NASB95)

What kind of person are you? Do you pray, “Thy will be done,” or do you deny God and say, “My will be done.”

In His Service,

Pastor Cary