February 9
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
This is the ninth devotion in our series on the subject of prayer. When we pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are referring back to the First and Second Petitions. This is the will of God, that we hallow His name and that His kingdom come. We are thinking of what God wants to do for us. God desires the salvation of all people. This is clearly taught in both the Old and the New Testament. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God says, “‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live,’” Ezekiel 33:11. Peter wrote, “The Lord . . . is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance,” 2 Peter 3:9. Paul wrote, “(God) desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” 1 Timothy 2:4.
After we have come to the knowledge of the truth and believe in Jesus as our Savior, God wants us to live as Christians and to avoid everything that is evil. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” John 14:15. John repeated this in his First Epistle: “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,” 1 John 5:3.
God’s will also includes what He wants us to endure as we live our Christian lives. He urges us to continue in the faith, and He tells us that, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God,” Acts 14:22. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote, “Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives,” Hebrews 12:6.
The devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh are all opposed to the will of God. We are warned in Scripture, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith,” 1 Peter 5:8-9. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world,” 1 John 2:15-16. With Paul, we must confess, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells,” Romans 7:18.
Therefore, we pray that God would bring to naught the evil plans of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. We pray that He would strengthen our faith so that we have the heart and courage to say, “No!” to sin and temptation. We pray that He would enable us to live truly Christian lives and that He would keep us in the saving faith until our dying day.
I walk in danger all the way; The tho’t shall never leave me,
That Satan, who has marked his prey, Is plotting to deceive me.
This Foe with hidden snares, May seize me unawares,
If e’er I fail to watch and pray. I walk in danger all the way.
I walk with Jesus all the way, His guidance never fails me;
Within His wounds I find a stay, When Satan’s power assails me.
And by His footsteps led, My path I safely tread.
In spite of ills that threaten may, I walk with Jesus all the way. Amen.