I recently started adding something new to my prayers: asking for God’s will to be done. In the past, when I prayed for someone or something, I just wanted my wishes to come true and didn’t really think about what God wanted. Maybe that was selfish, but honestly, I just didn’t know any better.
At our Wednesday night church services, most of our prayers for others or ourselves didn’t include those words either. I’m not making excuses, though. I knew that Jesus included them when he taught his disciples how to pray (Matthew 6:10 KJV).
Luke 22:42 NIV says, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus prayed this just before he was crucified. He didn’t want to die, so he asked God to save him, but even in his pain, he still said, Not my will, but yours be done.
Sometimes, we don’t know what God’s will is for us, but we do know that we want our prayers to be answered. We hope what we ask for is also what God wants, but often, we leave out those words—whether we mean to or not.
For example, when we pray for a loved one to recover from illness or an accident, that’s what we truly want. But sometimes, God knows that if they lived longer, they might miss their chance for salvation. So God may take them so they can go to heaven when Jesus returns.
A five-year-old runs into a busy street, is hit by a speeding car, and dies. The family might wonder why God didn’t stop it or why the child was taken so young. They may even feel angry with God. It’s hard to understand why an innocent child loses their life while the careless driver survives. Moments like this can make God’s will feel unfair.
My wife passed away from breast cancer several years ago. I prayed for her to get better, but I felt like my prayers didn’t matter much. Our pastor, the deacons, church members, family, and many friends all prayed for her too, but she still died.
Back then, I didn’t include the words “let your will be done” in my prayers. Even if I had, I probably would have left them out after my wife died. I started to wonder if God really heard us, if prayer even worked, and if I should keep praying at all.
No matter what happens in life, don’t stop praying. We can’t fully understand God’s knowledge or why He does things the way He does. It’s best to let God handle what only He can, and for us to do our part as humans. We shouldn’t try to figure out God’s ways or lose trust in Him.
No one dies and leaves God surprised, saying, “How did that happen?” God already knows the what, when, where, and how of everything. We should do our best to live well and keep Jesus first. He will comfort us through any loss—whether it’s a loved one, a home, a job, or anything else. Let’s keep our faith in God and remember to include “Let your will be done” in our prayers.
a job, or the loss of anything. We should always keep our faith in God and keep “Let your will be done” in our prayers.