THE LORD’S PRAYER
PART 2
Teach me to do your will. Psalm 143:10
How great is God? How big and how powerful and how wise is he? Certainly we can point to many of the miracles in the Bible to learn about how great God is. We think of the flood, the plagues in Egypt, dividing the Red Sea, making the walls of Jericho fall down, or shutting the mouths of lions. We consider the people Jesus healed and those he raised from the dead. How great is God?
The Lord’s Prayer continues: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The word will means “desire.” By praying that God’s will should be done, we are saying God should do everything he desires. God knows what is best for us, and we should be willing to accept God’s desires for our lives. That way we can be certain that whatever happens to us, it is done because our loving God willed it for us.
Nothing happens without God’s permission. Not a hair falls from our heads without God’s knowledge. No raindrop falls and no leaf sprouts without God’s will. God is in complete control. Every blink and every heartbeat happens because of God’s plan.
With God there are no surprises. The terrible news of cancer comes as a shock, but God knew from eternity that was to happen. God isn’t surprised by world leaders making war or tornadoes destroying whole towns. God is omniscient. He knows everything. In fact, he knew it before the world was created.
God is almighty. Almighty means that God has all power. God controls the weather, the seasons, the movement of stars, and the conception and birth of babies.
God owns everything. God made everything we see and handle and hear. He owns it all. Every time we give God our talents, time, or treasures, we are only giving back what was his all the time.
What a great God we have. We call him “sovereign” because he is unlimited, boundless, and supreme.
Do you remember to acknowledge in your prayers that whatever the outcome, it is according to God’s will and not yours?
From The Gift of Prayer