Thy Will Be Done

How to know and accept God's will for yourself and others.


I don't know about you, but on this Pilgrim walk, I have struggled with praying "thy will be done"?  Yet Gods' Word tells us:

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven 
is my brother and sister and mother.”


Matthew 12:50

So what is holding us me back from praying "thy will be done"?

Thy Will Be Done - Fear


I am ashamed to admit that I can fear God's will, but I am just being brutally honest here...

For those I intercede for, I believe God's will to be my desired answers to the very prayers I am praying; believing big that God will do a mighty work in the situation whether it be healing, provision or redemption.

When If I pray for myself, often I feel that God's will is not the answer I am hoping for.  Instead, I  expect the answer to be one of painful pruning.  

Yet if I were to write how many times the Lord did indeed give me the desires of my  heart, I could write a large volume book.  I have been in awe at how the Lord has answered prayers regarding my hopes and desires so specifically, and many times above and beyond what I could have hoped or imagined.

But heres the thing, the most joy-filled answers to prayer I have received indeed came through painful pruning.

I thank Thee, Lord, Thou wert too wise to heed
My feeble prayers, and answer as I sought,
Since these rich gifts Thy bounty has bestowed
Have brought me more than all I asked or thought;
Giver of good, so answer each request
With Thine own giving, better than my best.
--Annie Johnson Flint

As for God, his way is perfect. 
Psalm 18:30

Thy Will Be Done - Perfect Love Casts Out Fear


No matter how painful the circumstances of our Pilgrim walk might be, we have a God whose will for our lives begins and ends with Love.


For this is the will of my Father, 
that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, 
and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:40

And every day in between...

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, 
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11


Thy Will Be Done - The Living Word


From my own experience and in talking with others, I have found that, especially with life's big decisions, such as choosing a spouse, buying a house, or job decisions, many can struggle with truly knowing the will of God...

Do not be conformed to this world, 
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, 
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, 
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

It is through God's living Word that our minds are renewed and transformed to be like Christ and to thereby know the will of God...

By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, 
so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
2 Peter 1:4

I remember many years ago, when I still attended the Catholic church, the priest held up the Bible and said, this Holy book contains,  Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  He went on to say that everything we needed to know about life, living and living for God were contained within the pages of God's Holy Word, and that these Words of Life would prepare us for Eternal Life, in the Kingdom of God, in the presence of Jesus...

I delight to do your will, O my God; 
your law is within my heart.”
Psalm 40:8

There are several Bible verses that give very specific instructions about the will of God in a Believers life...

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,  making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand 
what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, 
be filled with the Spirit,  speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:15-20


It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: 
that you should avoid sexual immorality;
1 Thessalonians 4:3

For it is God’s will that by doing good 
you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
1 Peter 2:15

give thanks in all circumstances; 
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18


 As a chronic complainer, I was quite convicted by the mention not once, but twice, that God's will for me/us is to give thanks in all circumstances.  {For encouragement on the power that a thankful heart unleashes, head over to my post, The Power of Thanksgiving, which you can read here.}

This seems like the perfect way to start truly living and seeking God's will for my life, by being grateful in ALL circumstances, knowing that...

the will of God has placed me here, 
have no fear...


Let us pray for an understanding of God's will in our own lives...

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! 
Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
Psalm 143:10

And for an understanding of God's will for our brothers and sisters in the Lord...

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, 
asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will
 in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Colossians 1:9

For more posts related to the will of God in a Believer's life, please click on the following:



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Comments

  1. Thank you for pointing out that God's will is to give thanks in all situations--I suffer from a whiney attitude all too often. I have also discovered that giving thanks and praising God actually makes it easier to accept his will.

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    1. You are very welcome! :-)

      Thanks for joining in the conversation.

      Blessings,

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  2. Thanks for sharing these encouraging words today. Glad I stopped by. : )

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    1. Cathy, You are very welcome.

      I'm glad you did! :-)

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  3. Sometimes, it can be so hard to really discover God's will...I often think of that Scripture that He will be found of us when we seek Him with our whole heart. Thank you for another wonderful post, sweet friend. You are such a blessing and encouragement to me. Sending love and hugs to you!! :)

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    1. Hi Cheryl, "Seek Him with our whole heart". Sometimes I wonder if I ever truly do that, but thanks be to God we have a Savior who despite my weakness still whispers in my ear, "This is the way, walk in it."

      You are very welcome dear friend! May the Lord bless and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

      Sending you much love and gratitude

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  4. God keeps on bringing this and related verses across my path lately. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." And "seek first the kingdom of God." What I'm learning from this is that, if I am letting Him reign as King in my life, then I am naturally going to seek His will, not mine. We cannot have it both ways; either He reigns or we try to and fail.
    Thanks for being another source of God reminding me of what He is trying to teach me.

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    1. Ruth, Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful insights here.

      Praising God that He used this blog post to continue His lesson in your life.

      Delete
  5. I love Psalm 100- Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. I think that when we enter His presence through prayer, it's imperative that we do it with thanksgiving and praise. As I express gratitude for what I have, I find that I ask for fewer things and that it creates more contentment. Thanks for your honesty here. I think many feel the same way. Blessings to you.

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    1. Karen, Thank you so much for these words of wisdom.

      You are very welcome.

      Blessings,

      Delete
  6. Karen, I have also struggled with knowing the will of God and wrestling with His answers, wanting them in my time. But He really does know best and His heart is for us, not against us!

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    1. Debbie, Thank you for sharing your own heart here. I appreciate it so much. :-)

      Blessings,

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    2. Thanks for linking up with #TuneInThursday this week. See you next time!

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  7. Such a blessing! My husband and I are right in the middle of some big life decisions and it feels hard to know what God's will is, but the verse you mentioned about being thankful in every circumstance really struck me. Thank you!

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    1. Jessica, Praising God that you found encouragement for your own big decisions through the verse the Lord prompted me to share.

      May you have wisdom to discern God's will and peace to move forward in His will.

      Blessings,

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  8. Thank you for your honesty. I think we all have that tinge of fear when we pray for God's will. We KNOW we can trust Him, yet that complete surrendering of control is unnerving to our human selves! Thanks, Karen for sharing at #MomentsofHope! I appreciate you!
    Lori

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    1. Lori, You are welcome.

      And thank you so much for joining in the conversation. I appreciate it! :-)

      Thanks for hosting. I enjoy the fellowship there! :-)

      Blessings,

      Delete
  9. The reminder of giving thanks always for God's will in whatever situation is so true; whenever I'm tempted to be ungrateful that's like a really good yet painful reminder to me, because I go to complaining too quickly. <3 Thank you sister. <3 Thank you for reminding us to dig into God's Word and go to what we know is clearly God's will for us that He has outlined in Scripture. It's amazing how when we do seek God's kingdom, He makes His will clearer as He leads us down the Pilgrim pathway.

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    1. Emily, Thank you so much for sharing your own struggles in this area.

      Indeed! He is so faithful to lead us through His Word.

      Thanks so much for stopping by. :-)

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  10. I really identify with the paradox you shared at the beginning of this post! Thanks for sharing it at Booknificent Thursdays on Mommynificent.com!
    Tina

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    1. Tina, Praising God the post spoke to you.

      You are very welcome!

      Blessings,

      Delete

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