When the Greatest Prayer Is “Your Will Be Done”
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed. As He prayed, the Bible records that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:44 says, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” He was praying from a place of anguish. He was praying from a very difficult place. He had seen the cross. He had seen the sacrifice. He understood what was ahead of Him, and the burden was heavy.
Yet in that moment, Jesus prayed, “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). This is one of the most difficult prayers a person can pray—a prayer where one yields to the will of God for their life.
Most of the time, when many people pray, they come before God because of what they want Him to do for them. “God, my husband.” “God, my marriage.” “God, my finances.” “God, open this door.” “God, change this situation.” There is nothing wrong with bringing our desires before God, because God cares about the things that concern us. But there are moments when prayer must go deeper than asking God to fulfil our desires. There are moments when we must pray for the will and purpose of God to be fulfilled in our lives.
Sometimes, when speaking to men and women of God, I hear statements that are difficult to hear. Some say, “If God had shown me the journey for my calling, I would not have accepted it.” Not everybody’s testimony is a testimony of trial concerning their calling. Not everybody’s journey is like that. But many individuals have gone through trials, tests, difficulties, and moments where they were tried in their faith. They encountered things they never thought they would encounter and walked through seasons they never imagined would be part of their journey.
This is why the greatest prayer is not always the prayer where you seek your own mind, but the prayer where you seek the mind of God.
The will of God does not mean that God desires evil for His children. The Bible says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 1:2). It is God’s desire for us to prosper. It is God’s desire for us to be in health. It is God’s desire for us to experience the goodness that comes from His hand. Yet many believers are not convinced that it is God’s desire for them to prosper, and sometimes they struggle to trust what God has planned for their lives.
Jesus, when He was about to be crucified on the cross, yielded to the will of God. The will of God at that moment was difficult, but the purpose behind it was far greater than the pain of that moment. Because of His obedience, many other children were brought into the sheepfold. Many people were brought into the presence of God. Many were reconciled to God. We have our salvation because of that sacrifice.
What appeared to be a difficult decision in the moment was the right decision because it was connected to the greater purpose of God.
Jesus even cried from the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). The cross was not easy. The sacrifice was not easy. The suffering was not easy. But the purpose was greater than the pain.
Sometimes, what God is doing in your life will not immediately look like what you expected. Saul was looking for his father’s donkeys, but God was preparing him to become the king of Israel. David was taking care of sheep, but God had anointed him to become king. Abraham lived for many years without a child, but he did not know that God wanted to make him not simply the father of one child, but “a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5).
The plans of God are often far greater than what we can see in the present.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God has an expected end. He has an expected outcome. He has an expected result that He wants to achieve through your life and your destiny.
Do you know that understanding the will of God is one of the greatest rewards a person can have? To know what God wants, to understand His purpose, and to walk according to His intention is greater than simply receiving everything we have asked Him for.
The question is: What does God want for you as an individual? What does God want to do with your life? What does He want to do with your destiny? What are God’s intentions for you?
These are questions that go beyond, “God, what can You give me?” They ask, “God, what do You want to do through me?”
There is a will. There is a purpose. There is something that God has for you. And sometimes, the journey toward that purpose will not look the way you imagined it would look. Sometimes you will find yourself in places you never expected to be. Sometimes you will encounter resistance, delays, tests, and moments that challenge your faith. But you must learn to trust the God who sees the end from the beginning.
Jesus knew what was ahead of Him in Gethsemane, yet He still prayed, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” That prayer demonstrates a level of surrender where the desire to fulfil God’s purpose becomes greater than the desire to preserve personal comfort.
I pray that today we seek God, not only for what we want Him to do for us, but for what we want to see manifested concerning His will. May we become people who are willing to ask, “Lord, what is Your will for my life?” May we trust His plans even when we cannot see the full picture.
God has an expected end for you. His thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace and not of evil. His purpose is greater than what you can presently see.
Trust His will. Trust His purpose. Trust His plan.
And when you do not understand the journey, may your prayer still be, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”
