Your will be done...
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your name,
Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven...
So starts the prayer that Jesus taught His followers.
I found myself dwelling on the words Your will be done.
Do you get what we are praying when we pray that?
I think it’s something like this: “What matters to you God, let that happen...let that be done.”
But more too...
“Let that be done in me and through me.”
If we are concerned about God’s will being done, then we must understand that His will is done through us, His people. His will is done, as we, surrendered to the King, live lives of obedience to His will.
And that...living in accordance with His will....directly intersects with our everyday lives...our frontlines...our neighbourhoods.
Let me show you how:
You see, back in Genesis, God reveals what His will is for us.
It’s this...
...to rule over creation on God’s behalf (Gen. 1:26-28)
...to work and take care of God’s good creation. (Gen. 2:15)
Which, in case you’re wondering what that means, I think might mean something like this...
That we are to steward God’s creation in a way that cares for, nurtures, and brings flourishing; we are to play our part in thoughtfully taking the raw materials of creation and using them for good; we are to go about the work of creating and ordering and administering societies so that people can flourish; we are to tend to our ‘patch of the garden’ in a way that reflects the good and loving King to whom it belongs; we are to go about our work as people knowing that we do so for, and on behalf of, the King. I think it’s what Paul is getting at in Colossians 3 when he says - whatever we do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.
To go about our work, for and on behalf of, the King...that is our calling...that is God’s will for our lives.
Remember this: before work was ever a curse, it was a calling – our God-given vocation. And while we’ll still experience the painful toil of Genesis 3:17, as people born anew into God’s Kingdom, our understanding of work has been renewed – in going about our frontline lives in a way that reflects the King, we are doing His will...we are reflecting the King and His Kingdom.
And that is our everyday calling.
Ordinary people, following Jesus, for the good of the world.
Your will be done?
Go about your daily lives....your ‘work’ (and yes, that does include volunteering, stay-at-home parents and retirees) as if representing the King and His Kingdom.
That’s why I love this prayer from my prayer book...
Thank-you for women and men who today inspected bridges, cranes and elevators,
Police who patrolled streets and highways,
emergency workers who moved quickly to the scenes of accidents,
999 operators who stayed calm during frenzied calls, and
trustworthy child-care providers who gave overworked parents relief.
Thank-you for wise counsellors who listened attentively to trouble,
early morning trash collectors who worked almost silently,
airline pilots who concentrated on their checklist,
mums and dads who hugged their children,
journalists who wrote honest accounts of events they witnessed, and
business owners who treated employees with respect.
Thank-you for truckers who hauled essential goods to their destinations,
Hairdressers who styled wigs for cancer patients,
Care workers who performed patient and steady work in nursing homes,
Trainers who prepared guide dogs to help the people who need them,
And language interpreters who connected doctors with patients in hospitals.