Thy Will Be Done
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Today we are continuing our series on the Lord’s Prayer with the third petition Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The first three petitions; Hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, are really one prayer that God may fulfill His gracious purposes and come to us. The third petition adds the all-important idea that man is not a mere spectator of God’s great act; God draws man into it and graciously employs men to achieve His purposes.
You may remember that in Colossians 4:11 Paul calls his fellow missionaries his “fellow workers for the kingdom of God.” We should also remember we are missionaries and workers for the kingdom of God.
In the Small Catechism Luther wrote:
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
What does this mean?
The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.
How is God's will done?
God's will is done when he breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God's name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.
First and foremost I want to emphasize that even the most renowned theologians on the planet cannot discern God’s full will. There is a hidden and a revealed nature to God. Only what He has revealed to us can help us understand His will.
What is revealed to us about God is very little in the scope of an omnipotent omnipresent being. But He does reveal some things to us in a number of ways.
The most obvious and probably least thought about in terms of God is nature. God created a beautiful paradise for His cherished creation mankind.
The Lord created a planet that is just the right distance from the sun that is just the right size to give light and warm to our planet. He added an atmosphere that's just right to breath. He created water that all living things need to survive. For water to be a liquid at the temperature range we live in He gave it a unique property. Take that thought in for a moment.
As we look at our world we see many beautiful things that still exist despite the entry of sin and death. Perhaps those beautiful things are a revelation of His will to break the evil purposes of the devil.
Another revelation of God is that He really wants us to do well. His will is truly gracious and good. His desire is that we love Him as He loves us.
In verse 36 of the Gospel reading we read, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them.” This is one of the many places where the English translation of scripture fails miserably. This phrase, in particular the Greek word translated to compassion gives us a clue to how much Jesus loves us.
The word literally means that his innards were moved. The emotional emphasis of this word is such that Jesus was made physically sick by the pain and suffering of the people. He was not revolted but deeply empathetic to their suffering. He was almost overwhelmed by what He witnessed.
Of course we know that Jesus followed the Father’s will and went to the cross to bring an eternal end to pain and suffering. Is there any greater love than the blood shed on the cross for us?
Scripture provides other clues to God’s will. It reveals that God’s actions are out of love. His nature is revealed as a loving creator, not as an all powerful supreme being.
If God were to reveal Himself as an all powerful supreme being alone there would have been no need for salvation. We would be forced to do exactly as He commanded.
Let’s go back to the reading from Exodus and look at verses 5 and 6. … if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Notice the key word, if. If the people obey all of these blessings will follow. God allows us to have free will. Love doesn’t come from power. Think about the dictatorships of past and present. The people are forced to obey but that doesn’t generate love for the leader nor does the leader love the people.
God could surely force us to do anything He wished but we wouldn’t love Him. Only when we turn to Him freely do we show our love for Him. God’s will is that we love Him as He loves us. So as a natural extension we find in 1 Timothy 2 verses 3 and 4 …God our Savior … wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
We could debate whether God’s will is a plan that is defined in every detail for us or whether He has multiple plans based on our decisions. Regardless of how you want to view it His will is to bless our efforts when we look to Him. However scripture also reveals that the blessing may not be what we expect.
Ultimately God wants all people to know and love Him. He doesn’t force this on us He allows us to make a choice.
As we look back again at the Gospel reading Jesus took action because of His compassion. He sent out the twelve with instructions and authority. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
We are no different than the twelve. Our mission is the same we have the same authority. This building is a place of worship and it is also a base camp for our mission. God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
If we don’t work toward fulfillment of His will then this building holds no meaning. We can go out in faith from this camp like the twelve or we can close this camp in dignity to join efforts elsewhere.
God’s will is for all people to know and love Him as He loves them. And God invites us to help carry out His plan. He gives us free will. He lets us choose to join Him in the work of the kingdom. He lets us choose to show our love for Him.
In the name our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
