There are some famous prayers in the Bible. But none, I believe, is more famous than the Lord’s prayer, where Jesus taught the disciples to pray: “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, NIV).

Today I want to focus on that last part: “Your will be done.” What is the will of God? It’s an all-important subject. We are to pray every day that God’s will would be done in the earth and in our own lives. We can’t grow or become strong Christians unless we have an awareness of God’s will.

The will of God has two parts to it.

First, there’s the general will of God, which applies to everybody—you, me, the guy down the block, the people in our churches.

We know, for example, that “God our Savior . . . wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3–4, NIV). God’s will is that everyone in the earth would receive salvation through faith in what Jesus Christ did on the cross for all of us. When we walk up to someone, we don’t have to wonder, “Does God love this person and want him or her to be a Christian?” God tells us, “That’s My plan.”

Here’s another one for all Christians: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3, NIV). We don’t have to pray about it. It is the general will of God for all believers that we live pure, holy lives.

As we read through our Bibles daily, we learn about the general will of God for all of us.

Second, there’s the personal will of God—the plan and purpose God has for each of us individually, different from what He has for someone else.

When we read the Bible, we see an expression of the will of God for Abraham: “Leave where you grew up, and go to a land I’m going to show you” (see Genesis 12:1). But we’re not supposed to leave where we grew up unless God directs us to.

In the New Testament, Jesus called certain people to follow and be with Him. Others He sent from city to city. He had seventy-two people go out and spread the good news of His love for humanity (see Luke 10:1).

God has a purpose for each of our lives. He planned it before we were conceived in our mothers’ wombs.

God’s plan for us involves specifics—for example, our careers. Hopefully we’re sensitive and asking the Lord, “What did You call me to be? What is my gifting?” For some people, it’s to be a schoolteacher. For others, it’s a mechanic, a scientist, or in ministry. This is why we shouldn’t change jobs unless we pray about it.

The Lord’s plan includes who we marry. Some people don’t believe that, but how could God love us and not be concerned about who we spend our lives with? We wouldn’t say to our children, “Yeah, just marry anyone—he seems like a nice guy.” No, we are deeply concerned for our sons and daughters. God is even more concerned for us. After all, He knows the very number of hairs on our heads (see Luke 12:7).

Seasons of our lives, where we move, trips we go on––we can pray about these. God doesn’t say, “Try your best and let’s see if it works out.” He says, “Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21, NIV).

Life is made up of decisions. As we make choices each day, we should be conscious and ask, “Am I keeping in the will of God? Am I in the stream of His plan for my life?” That’s where provision and blessing are found. It’s when we veer off to the right or the left, saying, “I feel like doing this,” that we can really get jammed up.

But we’re all proud, independent, and selfish, starting with me. God has to work with us and renew our minds so we believe that His way is the best way. He’s our Creator; He’s our Father. We owe Him our lives. How can we say “Lord” if we’re not going to listen to what God directs us to do?

Jesus prayed in the garden, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42, NIV). He didn’t go to the cross because it was a nice run in the fields where He could smell the daisies. He said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38, NIV).

We might think, “Oh, I’ve got to give up all my plans?” But don’t we think God’s plan for our lives is better than our plans?

When a little boy named Samuel heard God calling him, a priest told the boy, “When the Lord approaches, here’s what you tell Him: ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’” (see 1 Samuel 3:2–10). That’s a good prayer for us too.

The deepest, most joyful Christian life is in doing the will of God. Let it be so in our lives.

Prayer

Father, thank You that You love us and have a purpose for our lives. Help us to hear Your voice so we can walk in the will You planned for us before we were born rather than in our own desires. May Your will be done in us today.

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