Are you willing to submit to the will of God when you pray?

We want what we want, but that’s not necessarily what is best either for us or for others.

I’ve got a long list of things I pray for.

I pray for healing. I pray for safety. I pray for wisdom. I pray that I’d be able to pay the bills each month. The list goes on. These are all my will. Even when praying for others, I’m praying that my will be done for those people (like they would be healed or protected from all harm).

A lot of the things I pray for are good. Some may even be what is best, but some, though good, may not be what is best. When I pray for healing, that’s good, but I may need to go through the illness for some purpose I’m not even aware of.

Paul prayed that a thorn in his side would be removed. We don’t know what the “thorn” was, but Paul certainly wanted to get rid of it. Removing suffering is good, but in this case, it wasn’t best. God said He wouldn’t remove it. It kept Paul humble and reminded him to rely on God rather than himself. That was a better good.

My will is not perfect. My will can be selfish. God’s will is perfect.

Jesus’ prayer in the garden was not an easy one. He knew what lay before Him, the horrible suffering He was about to endure, but He trusted the Father’s will. He knew the Father’s will was perfect and loving, even if it was difficult.

As those called by the Holy Spirit into faith, our desire is that our will would be more and more like the will of the Father and that even when our will differs, we would be willing to submit our will to the Father’s will. Prayer is an act of submission.

Heavenly Father,

Your will is good and perfect. Sometimes, my will differs from Your will. When it does, I submit myself to You. May Your will be done, even if it is difficult. And may my will be more like Yours every day.

Amen