Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 11: 1-13 "WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT OF "GOD'S WILL?"
Day 135 – Luke 11
Text: Luke 11: 1-13
WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT OF “GOD’S WILL?”
When you think about “The Will of God”, what comes to mind? Do you think of the will of God as…
1. Fate!
2. Something that robs you of your own personal will!
3. Something beyond human comprehension!
4. Something you cannot fight!
HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND “THE WILL OF GOD”?
Many have struggled with the concept of God’s Will. It seems to be such an abstract concept, and yet the Lord Jesus taught the Disciples to pray for the Will of God to be done on earth, as it is done in heaven.
Let’s try and understand the concept of God’s Will as it is revealed in the Word of God. Perhaps, with a greater understanding of His Will, we will be able to appreciate what Jesus sought to teach His Disciples.
1. The Disciples must learn to believe and trust that God is good and holy! His Will would thus never be anything but also good and holy! The will of God will never contradict the Character of God! That would be unthinkable!
2. God has declared His Will and encoded that in the hearts of men. A clearer understanding of His Will is written in the Scriptures (Romans 2:14-15). The laws of God represent His Will.
3. The Will of God naturally has the full backing of Divine power and authority! Thus no one can defy God’s will and triumph against God (Cf. Isaiah 46:10; Hebrews 6:17-18 teaches us that God’s promises are immutable).
4. The Will of God is necessary for the good governance of the universe! The universal laws that govern the world are to be seen as demonstrations of the powerful Will of God. He maintains the world by the power of His sovereign Will!
DEFIANCE OF THE WILL OF GOD
Man in his sinful state has always challenged God’s will. Desiring his own will, man defies God’s will.
1. Man rejects the existence of God. He thinks that if he denies God, then he does not have to do His will. (Psalm 14:1)
2. Man rages against God. They take counsel with each other as to how they may do away with God’s Anointed. (Psalm 2:1-3)
3. Man professes himself to be wise, and exchanged the truth of God for a lie. (Romans 1:21-32)
The seed of sin being sown deeply in the hearts of mankind has borne dark fruits of sin. Man has continued to defy the Will of God in a myriad number of ways! Nevertheless, God has continued to exercise great patience and mercy towards erring and sinful man!
“YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.” Luke 11:2
How does the heavenly host view the Will of God? Jesus correctly teaches us that God’s Will is understood and appreciated as perfect in Heaven. No angel would question the infinite wisdom of God! They hasten to do His bidding, because they have stood in His Presence for eons, and they have found His Will perfect!
However, man because of his sinfulness does not know how to appreciate the Will of God. Thus he is doubtful and queries it at every turn. It is right that man should learn how to pray that God’s Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
How do we actually apply this prayer into our daily life? Here are some suggestions:-
A. UNDERSTANDING GOD AND HIS WORD BETTER
1. Let us first seek to understand God lots better.
2. We can get to know God lots better when we spend sufficient time reading His Word.
3. We will be able to pray that we might do His Will better when we understand and trust God a little bit more.
B. SUBMITTING OUR STUBBORN WILL TO GOD
1. We struggle with doing God’s Will partly because of our sinful nature.
2. We prefer to do our own will.
3. We must pray for possession of a more submissive nature.
C. ENJOYING DOING THE WILL OF GOD
1. Psalm 40 teaches us that it is possible to enjoy or delight in doing the will of God (Psalm 40:8).
2. The Person prophetically symbolized in Psalm 40:6-8 is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (Cf. Hebrews 10:5-10)
3. He shows us that it is possible to delight in doing God’s Will. When we perfectly do His Will, we will be able to see God’s richest blessings poured out in our life. Through our doing God’s will perfectly, many will be blessed.
PRAYER OFTEN INCLUDES A BATTLE OF WILLS
The Lord Jesus taught His Disciples to pray about doing God’s will because He knew only too well how difficult it is for sinful man to naturally practise obedience. Each time prayer is offered, one must expect a battle of wills.
It is a three-cornered fight. There is the sinful will of man, there is the evil will of the Devil which he desires to superimpose upon man, and there is the Perfect Will of God.
The Lord Jesus teaches us how to submit to the Will of God. He spoke often of doing His Father’s Will (John 4:34; 9:4). He recognized that His Father’s will is perfect. His close and constant communion with His Father in prayer saw to it that He never deviated from fulfilling His Father’s Will. Let us be challenged to pray humbly, “Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
Webmaster’s Note :
If you are seeking a deeper level of understanding of prayer, please check out Pastor Charlie Tan’s excellent weekly articles on The Theology of Prayer , which includes a more indepth study of The Lord’s Prayer and how it applies to our prayer-life.