May Your Will be Done
ICS Daily Devotions
Matthew 26:39-42 (NKJV) He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
Today, many of us find ourselves at a crossroads in our lives, such as a next posting, a new job search, or company restructuring and downsizing. In these storms of life, the most important thing a believer can have is a firm footing, which comes from knowing that you are at the centre of God’s will. To find this footing, we must practise a vital yet often misunderstood form of prayer, the prayer of consecration.
The prayer of consecration is:
1. Praying about the will of God for your life
2. Submitting yourself to God’s will
3. A prayer that you can pray repeatedly
We can quickly determine what Jesus was praying about in the passage above by noting what He was not praying for. Jesus wasn’t praying for His disciples, the people, or provision for the ministry. Instead, He was praying about God’s will for how He was to die on the cross. He was praying about becoming the sin sacrifice for the world, and He was praying to the Father to see whether there was any alternative. He didn’t know, which is why He was praying “if it is possible”.
When we talk about the prayer of consecration, what we mean is praying about God’s will for your life. Yet many Christians have grown increasingly impatient in this modern, technologically advanced era, having lost the ability and the spiritual habit of waiting upon God for a critical answer in their lives. They want an immediate answer for a specific decision. However, it is extremely dangerous and foolhardy to make critical decisions without deliberately seeking God and consulting godly counsel—it is almost like playing Russian roulette.
Instead, we should redevelop the habit of seeking God daily, especially at the crossroads in our lives. Although AI is helpful in many ways, it is no alternative to seeking God! We should never consult AI about what action to take, even if it is a Christian AI model! We should seek God and consecrate our lives to Him. God is the one we should be talking to. Otherwise, AI will unknowingly begin to replace God and prayer entirely in our lives.
Reflection: Do you have a habit of seeking God when making decisions, even if it takes time, or do you opt for shortcuts? How is the Holy Spirit convicting you or leading you to repent?
Sermon Series： Surrendering Your Will to God
