Mensa Otabil - Your Will Be Done
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On the 23rd of June, we start 40 days of power. It’s going to be 40 days of prayer and fasting, ending on the 1st of August. I just want to encourage all of you to be part of this time of spiritual emphasis. That’s why this week I’m teaching on prayer as we prepare for 40 days of prayer and fasting. So we go back to Matthew chapter 6, verse 10: «Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.» This is the first petition in prayer; this is the first thing we are asking God for in the Lord’s Prayer. He says we pray, «Lord, your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.» And why is that important? Because many times we go into prayer with a need.
We pray because we have needs, things that are important to us and something we want God to do, and we normally want to put that first and make that our priority. God is saying, «Don’t let that be your priority.» Your need is important, but His will is more important. So when we’re praying, we place God’s will first and our need afterwards. In praying for His will, He says we pray first, «Your kingdom come.» That simply means, «God, rule over the situation; let Your glory be manifested.» Your kingdom comes when we align ourselves with Your divine purposes. You have a plan already in place; there’s something You are working out, and we want that to be the reality. We don’t just want to come saying, «Lord, give me this, and give me that,» but we want Your grand plan, Your kingdom, to come and be inaugurated in our lives.
Then He says we pray, «Your will be done.» God’s will is what He wants to do, and you have to understand there is something God wants to do in your life and mine. There’s something God wants to do with us. Before we were born, He had a will and a purpose for us; that’s what necessitated our birth. We didn’t bet ourselves; we didn’t choose to come to this earth. He brought us here because He has a will for us, and our greatest desire is that God’s will will be manifested in our lives. Before you think about your need for food, shelter, and clothing, think about God’s will becoming real in your life.
The reason why this is important is that God has a will, and we also have a will. We are the two beings in the universe who have a will: God’s will and human will. He gave us free will because He created us to be like Himself, and the battle of all time is a battle of wills between the will of God and our will. That is why the greatest prayer is to surrender our will to the will of God. That’s what we are praying for. Jesus prayed that prayer at the end of His ministry: «Not my will but Yours be done.»
That’s what we have to learn to pray: «Lord, Your will be done in my life; not what I really want to do, but what You want to do.» We want to align ourselves with God’s will and purposes for our lives, and He says, «Let it be done on earth as it is in heaven.» And that’s loaded. Ultimately, there is a will of God for us in heaven; there is a plan that God has for us in heaven; there is a spiritual design He has for you. We must pray that that spiritual desire becomes our earthly reality because, in the end, we must live heaven on earth.
Our life on earth must be a reflection of heaven. There is no chaos in heaven, no rebellion in heaven, no scarcity in heaven, and no sickness in heaven. If that is not in heaven, then what is in heaven must become our earthly reality. So when we say, «Lord, let Your will be done,» we say we want to enjoy heaven on earth, and we want Your purposes manifested in our lives here on earth. That’s how we prioritize our prayer: heavenly purpose becomes our earthly reality.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, establish Your rule in my life. Let me experience heaven on earth; in Jesus' name, amen.»