“YOUR KINGDOM COME. YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.” —MATTHEW 6:10
When I was a teenager and a new Christian, I thought prayer consisted of telling God what was happening down here, as if He didn’t know. I remember giving Him a lot of hints about how He could change the situation. There I was, counseling God.
I’ve learned over the years, however, that God does not need my wisdom, input, or counsel. Indeed, I can’t tell you how many times I looked back in amazement at how wrong my ideas and plans were. I just wanted to say, “Oh, thank you, God, that you didn’t listen to me! And you didn’t answer the prayer the way I wanted because what You did was like a million times better.”
Jesus gives us a pattern in the Lord’s prayer that demonstrates a more appropriate way to pray: ask for God’s plan to unfold. “Forget my agenda, God, what’s Your agenda?”
We can be in a messy situation, freaking out in complete chaos. The good news is that we don’t have to come up with the solution. We can take a deep breath and pray, “I know You have a plan, and whatever it is, I’m all in.”
We don’t see the whole picture as God sees it. Not only does He see all the participants and problems, He’s also planned how to work it all out for our good. His omniscience means that He knows all about it, and His omnipotence means that He has all the power to carry out His intentions.
Instead of using our limited knowledge to pray into a situation, we can say, “Let Your plan unfold. Let Your will be done here on earth, just like it is in heaven.” We can be sold out to God’s solution.
That trust and faith are what He’s waiting for. Then we see Him begin to act, to move mountains, change minds, and hearts. And suddenly, what seemed to be lined up against us starts to realign. Doors open, favor comes, obstacles vanish. It’s incredible.
Trying to figure things out on our own can cause so much anxiety. Our Father knows we’re not up to such a task. Even Jesus Himself prayed, “Not my will but Yours be done.”Yes, we may be imperfect in our understanding, in our knowledge, and in our plans, but He’s given us the perfect prayer to compensate.
