APRIL 18, 2023 – THY WILL

READ: Deut. 29:29 – 30:14

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” – Deut. 29:29

The third petition of the Lord’s Prayer is, “Thy will be done, as in heaven so also on earth.”  What is meant here by God’s will?

There are two types of will. Firstly God’s will, His good pleasure. It was God’s will to create and maintain earth and heaven, the sea and all that is in it. It was God’s will to send His Son to save us through faith in Him. It is God’s will that there should be a new heaven and earth. That is God’s pleasure, his sovereign will. 

He has not revealed all of it to us in His Word. Much is hidden. If God carries out His will, we must accept it. As Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane: “My Father, if this cup cannot pass me by, let your will be done” (Matt. 26:42).

But there is also a revealed will of God, which is found in the Bible. We must not go against this revealed will, as it concerns God’s commandments. God gives them to us so we can follow them. This requires an active attitude. God wants us to keep His commandments, and thus carry them out. This may be impossible for us as sinners, but the Lord Jesus has shown complete obedience on our behalf.  

We also know that we cannot earn our salvation simply by keeping God’s commandments. Yet the Lord asks us to show our gratitude throughout our lives as a living sacrifice of thanks, to be renewed in such a way that we can discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:1,2). 

Is there a connection between 2nd and 3rd petition?

Singing: Ps. 139:13