“Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.”

—James 4:13–16 NIV1984

 

Jesus not only taught His disciples to pray, "Your will be done" (Matthew 6:10), but He modeled those very words in His own life and ministry. Which, of course, begs the question, "Why is it so crucial to pray in this way?"

 

First, to pray "Your will be done" is to recognize the sovereignty of God over every aspect of our daily lives. In effect, it is a way of saying, "Thank God this world is under His control, not mine!" We would be in deep trouble if God gave us everything for which we asked. Fact is, we don't know what's best for us! We only see a snapshot of our lives—while God sees the entire panoply. Thus, His perspective is far superior to ours.

 

“'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!' Then all the people said, 'Amen!' and praised the LORD.”

—1 Chronicles 16:36 ESV

 

In addition to the basic meaning of the word "amen" as, in effect, saying, "May it be so in accordance with the will of God," the word "amen" is a direct reference to Jesus, who taught us to pray "your will be done" (Matthew 6:10). In Revelation, He is referred to as the "Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation" (3:14). Jesus not only taught us to pray, "Your will be done," but also modeled those words in His life. In His passionate prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39).

 

Finally, although Jesus is our greatest example, He is certainly not our only example. His brother James warns those who are prone to "boast and brag" that they ought to pray instead, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:15). Christ's closest friend during His earthly ministry, the apostle John, echoes the words of the Master when he writes, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14).

Next time you end your prayer time with the word "amen," it is my prayer that you will focus on the fact that far from being a formality, it is fraught with meaning. Not only is "amen" a direct reference to the Savior, but it is a reminder that even the seemingly insignificant details of our lives are under the Savior's sovereign control.

 

"Pray then like this:

 

'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'"

—Matthew 6:9–13 ESV

 

So far we've seen that to pray "Your will be done" is to recognize the sovereignty of God over every aspect of our daily lives; and that it is daily recognition that our wills must be submitted to His will.

 

To pray "your will be done" is daily recognition that God will not spare us from trial and tribulation, but rather He will use the fiery furnace to purge impurities from our lives. Ultimately, this is the message of the book of Job. Job endured more tragedy in a single day than most people experience in a lifetime. Yet in his darkest hour Job uttered the ultimate words of faith, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (Job 13:15 KJV). For the child of God, the hope is not perfect health and happiness in this lifetime, but a resurrected body and a heavenly dwelling in the life to come.