Thy Will be done

I used to make myself pray "Thy will be done" because I knew I should. That was what I was supposed to say, right? But when I read Dallas Willard's book The Divine Conspiracy I had my eyes opened to a new way of understanding the Lord's prayer--these things we pray with joy and enthusiasm--we say "Thy will be done" with an exclamation mark and a "hallelujah!". Or at least we should...He talked about a God in his book that I barely knew, a God who is joyful like waves crashing on the shore, a God whose goodness is too deep to fathom. I wanted to know that God, and I wanted to pray the Lord's prayer with an exclamation mark.

I began by dwelling on the words of the prayer and asking the Lord to open my eyes to who He is. In time, I began to feel His heart, get a sense of His longings for the world. When I got to "Thy will be done," I had a deep sense of the world's need for His good will, for His kingdom "to come." Justice, mercy, love, compassion...and it started with me. At least in my own little life I could see Him bringing about His will each day, and it was truly good. I was delighted and humbled and awed to see Him at work. And tonight I got to wondering what would happen if we all, who call on His Name, every day asked for His will to be done on earth--knowing, believing that He would answer and watching in eager expectation for that goodness. I think things would be drastically different. Not just because of the miraculous interventions which would come, but because of His goodness at work through each of us. Because of course we can't ask for His will to be done and then deny Him anything in us. Its a difficult process, but I have found it much more than worth it.

God's goodness has become like an anchor for me. Even when things are hard, I know and repeat to myself that He *is* good, no matter how I feel at that moment about life, I know that He is always within me and always good, and I will know that goodness. I want the whole world to know it! To have that anchor. To also be able to say enthusiastically, "Thy will be done, O wonderful Father! We need Your goodness, Your mercy, Your help. Come here through us and set things straight!"