A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (July 12, 2017)
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
We often hear a statement used in some Christian prayer circles that says, “Not my will, but thy will be done”. What does that actually mean? Is that a statement of knowing, or an admission of not knowing?
In the fifth chapter of John we see an account of a man being healed by Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda. This man had been sick for 38 years and had been waiting for a man to help put him in the healing waters after they were stirred up by an angel. Jesus asked the man one question. “Do you want to be made well”? The man replied with his account that he had no man to help him. Jesus said to the man, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” The man was instantly healed.
Now, you would think that everybody would be rejoicing at this man’s healing but that was not the case. The Jewish leaders were very angry. They wanted to know who this was that did this terrible thing by healing this man on the Sabbath. They even scolded the healed man for carrying his bed on the Sabbath. When they found out that it was Jesus they proceeded to persecute Him and sought to kill Him. They became even more furious when Jesus told them that God was His Father and He didn’t do anything unless He saw His Father do it. In other words, Jesus knew it was the Father’s will to heal this man.
From John 5:19-47 we see a sermon that was preached by Jesus to these same Jewish leaders. It was a barn-burner! I can just envision these leaders becoming more and more enraged as His sermon proceeded. The following is a brief summary of just a few of the things Jesus said to them:
For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. (John 5:20, NLT)
And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. (John 5:25, NLT)
Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, (John 5:28, NLT)
But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me. (John 5:36, NLT)
If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. But since you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say? (John 5:46-47, NLT)
By this time the Jewish leaders were livid! They would have killed Him on the spot if they could have.
Here is the main point that I want all of us to see. Jesus knew exactly what the will of the Father was. He did not care what man thought. His sole purpose was to do what He was called to do. The most powerful statement Jesus made throughout this entire sermon was in John 5:30 when He said, “I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me”. That is what the statement “Thy Will Be Done” is all about. It’s not about not knowing His will and using it to pray in a questioning way. It’s about knowing the will of God in every situation and then doing it! That is totally different!!!
You and I can know the will of God. He left us an entire manual that shows us His will. We just need the courage to do it.
