English
Português
Español
Français
Response
The life of Jesus Christ demonstrated obedience. He descended to earth to carry out His Father’s will regardless of the painful task ahead. Nevertheless, when faced with His crucifixion, Jesus honestly prayed to God: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup of suffering away from me” «saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. », (Luke 22:42, NLT). In His human form, Jesus did not desire to endure a painful death. However, He immediately added, “Not my will, but yours be done” «saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. », (Luke 22:42).
This moment in Gethsemane captures one of the most intense hours of agony in Christ’s life (Matthew 26:36-46;Mark 14:32-42;Luke 22:40-46). He informed His disciples, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” «and saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. », (Mark 14:34). Beyond the fear of death, Jesus, in His human nature, must have dreaded the idea of carrying the sins of the world «who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. », (1 Peter 2:24). In the garden, the Lord fell face down on the ground and made this desperate plea to God: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.”
be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” «And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. », (Matthew 26:39).
Christ’s words and actions here serve as a great comfort to us, His followers. God wants His children to pour out their hearts to Him in sincerity «Trust in him at all times; ye people, Pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. », (Psalm 62:8). He is our refuge, our safe haven. Like Jesus, we can reveal the deepest longings in our hearts to our loving heavenly Father. He knows what we are feeling, and we can trust Him to carry the burdens of our souls.
Facing the cross, Jesus was able to pray, “Not my will, but yours be done” because He was wholly submitted to His Father’s will. “My food,” He had said, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” «Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. », (John 4:34). “By myself I can do nothing,” explained Jesus, “for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” «I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. », (John 5:30).
Obedience to God’s will was central to Christ’s mission. He told His disciples, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” «For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. », (John 6:38).
John 6:38″>(John 6:38). Centuries before, the Scriptures predicted Christ’s purpose to come to earth and fulfill God’s will (Hebrews 10:5-7;cf: Psalm 40:6-8).
For Christ’s disciples, saying “Not my will, but yours be done” is the ultimate prayer that never fails. As stated in 1 John 5:14–15, we can pray confidently “if we ask according to his will.” Praying in alignment with God’s will ensures that He listens to us and will fulfill our requests. Indeed, one of the main purposes of prayer is to see God’s will accomplished and to bring honor and glory to His name on earth. Jesus instructed His followers to pray, “Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). Those who pray in this manner, seeking God’s will above all else, demonstrate that they are truly followers of Christ (Matthew 7:21;see also Matthew 12:50;Mark 3:35;Luke 8:21;John 15:10;Ephesians 6:6).
The apostle Paul encouraged believers to seek the Holy Spirit’s assistance in praying according to God’s will: “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For instance, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will” (Romans 8:26-27;NLT). Paul also urged believers to “learn to know God’s will” for their lives because God’s will “is good and pleasing and perfect” «And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
That you may prove what is good, acceptable, and perfect, the will of God. », (Romans 12:2, NLT).
When Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours be done,” He surrendered His own will to God’s, fully convinced that His Father knew what was best. When we pray this way, we yield ourselves to God’s wisdom, trusting Him to work out what’s best for our lives, too «And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. », (Romans 8:28).
