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“Thy will be done.”  I find it very easy to let this phrase in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) roll off my tongue without giving it a great deal of thought.  I often tend to think of it in global terms.  Thy will be done in getting rid of COVID.  Thy will be done in the upcoming elections.  Thy will be done in racial reconciliation.  There is nothing wrong with applying this phrase in this way; however, maybe there is more to it.

I think Jesus attached much greater meaning to that phrase. I’ll have the hubris to share a more embellished version that may capture a more intimate and personal prayer:  thy will (not mine) be done all day, every day in every aspect of my life. Letting go of our plans and desires and genuinely following God’s will all day, every day involves sacrificing our self-conceived plans and desires. Jesus describes this in Luke 9:23, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” 

In the mornings I often pray to do God’s will that day.  It is easy to pray, but I find it incredibly hard to actually accomplish this all day, every day.  I find that there are layers to letting go of my will and submitting to his. 

Maybe an example will help.  Last week I felt God calling me to write a devotional and I let go of some my plans to take the time to meditate on what to write.  I thought I truly meant, “thy will be done.”  However, my sticky little fingers became firmly attached to my initial topic idea.  Not surprisingly I made no progress and frustration set in. God had to pry my fingers off of my will so that he could reveal his topic to me.

But my will was still hanging on to my desired timing for completing this devotional.  In most situations my idea of good timing is now.  I am not fond of waiting.  The “father of lies” often whispers that sooner is better and waiting on God’s timing is foolish.  Falling for Satan’s lies leads to anxiety, worry, frustration and even despair.  Once again, I had to let go and wait for God’s timing.

As I write this, I find there is still another layer of my will to surrender. Sigh!  Totally embracing God’s will includes surrendering the results to him.  My people-pleasing, affirmation-seeking self often longs to know the results. How many people read the devotional?  Did they like it?  Did they share it with anyone?  Did they like the painting?  The reality is the results are best left in God’s hands.  He is in charge of the results, I’m not.  God knows that detailed knowledge in this area would lead me either to despair or an inflated ego – neither of which is healthy. 

Clinging to all the layers of my own plans achieves only what Satan desires for me: ugly layers of anxiety, frustration, worry, and fear.  Peter warns us, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8).

God’s will for each of us arises from his perfect and unfailing love.  We can trust that his will for us is beautifully woven into his sovereign plans for his creation.  God’s providence is way beyond my comprehension but I know that Paul’s prayer in Romans 15:13 is true: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  I can confidently pray “thy will be done” because I know when I trust him enough to do his will, Jesus replaces the ugly layers of my will with the layered blessings of hope, joy and peace.

I tried to envision beautiful layers of joy, hope and peace flowing through a landscape when I painted Layers of Blessing.  When we pray “thy will be done” and begin to apply those words to our lives – all day, every day – God’ beautiful layers of blessings begin to flow through our lives.  May all of our days be layered with “Thy will be done!