“Your will be done, on Earth as it is [done] in Heaven.” (Matt 6:10)

Sometimes, it’s really hard to conceive of the many ways in which God’s divine intention present in our lives, and this portion of The Lord’s Prayer is a reminder to us that no matter what, He’s in control. Many times in life, actually most times, things don’t go exactly the way we would have had them go, and when they don’t, we are quick to attribute the outcome to anything but God. After all, aren’t we told in Romans 8:28 that “all things work together for good to those who love God?” We charge forward, convinced of our own righteousness, sure we know exaclty what God wants, and eager to prove that he is indeed on our side. We get so mired down in the outcomes we’ve imagined, so caught up in how we think things ought to go, that we forget to wait on God’s will to unfold.

Romans 8:28 goes on to say “to those who are the called according to His purpose.” It’s His intension that is at work here, not ours. Revelation 17:17 says that God puts it into the hearts of people to do what will fulfill his objectives, which means he plants a thought into their heads or lays something upon their hearts, which they are unaware has atually come from him. That’s why Caiaphas acted as he did. He was convinced that putting one man to death, rather than an entire nation was what God wanted, and he was right. It was the direction in which God was leading him, just not in the way he had imagined, and certainly not in the way he had convinced himself and the rest of the Sanhedrin to believe. In his view, that man was a blasphemer, and God would judge him [Caiaphas] righteous for his actions, right?

When we pray this, it’s not because we’re giving God permission to direct our lives, or the events that surround us, but in recognition of the fact that God is most certainly in the driver’s seat. Whether we’re intenionally aligned with it through humble submission as Christ was, or through stubborn self-righteousness like Caiaphas, it’s still God’s plan, still his will being done on earth as it is also done in Heaven.

~SLM