“That we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command.”- Thomas Cranmer
“For my heart’s desire unto Thine is bent; I aspire to a full consent.”- George Herbert
Timothy Keller continues his discussion of the Lord’s Prayer in Chapter 6 of Prayer by considering the next two petitions.
3. Thy kingdom come. Augustine noted that even though God is reigning now, it’s possible for us to refuse God’s rule. That’s why we need to pray for His kingdom to “come”. As Pastor Keller states, this petition, then, is a “Lordship” petition in which we are asking God to extend His power over every part of our lives- emotions, desires, thoughts, and commitments. When God so fully rules over us, we will want to obey Him joyfully with all our hearts. Finally, we look forward to the day when the fullness of God’s kingdom will come.
4. Thy will be done. Luther paraphrases this petition as follows: “Grant us grace to bear willingly all sort of sickness, poverty, disgrace, suffering, and adversity and to recognize that in this your divine will is crucifying our will.”
Pastor Keller adds we won’t ever be able to say “Thy will be done” unless we’re profoundly certain that God is our Father. With such trust we can ask for grace to bear our troubles patiently. Luther observes that without this trust in God, we’ll try to take God’s place and seek vengeance on those who have harmed us and feel compelled to control others as well as our environment.
Today’s question: Following your vocation loss, how have you been intentional in saying “Thy will be done”? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The low door of humility”
