Thy Will Be Done

Posted on by Ps JJ Lim

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Catechetical sermons preached in PCC Evening Worship Services, Feb 2013 to Dec 2017

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Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven

Matthew 6:10b

WSC 103. What do we pray for in the Third Petition?

A. In the Third Petition—(which is, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven1)—we pray, That God, by His grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to His will in all things,2 as the angels do in heaven.3

1Mt 6:10; 2Ps 67; 119:36; Mt 26:39; 2 Sam 15:25; Job 1:21; 3Ps 103:20–21.

The Lord’s Prayer is a pattern of prayer which the Lord Jesus used to teach His disciples how to pray. It has six petitions, of which the first three are directly about God’s glory, whereas the next three concern our needs.

We have already studied the preface, which is “Our Father.” This teaches us to approach God as our loving heavenly Father, ready to receive us and answer our prayers.

We have also explained the first petition, “Hallowed be thy name.” We saw how this reminds us of four things: (1) to approach God as altogether glorious and holy; (2) to petition God to continue to glorify Himself by all means; (3) to enable us to see His glory in creation and providence; and (2) to enable us to labour for His glory.

From the second petition, which is “Thy Kingdom Come,” we learned to pray for three things: (1) for the downfall of Satan’s kingdom, (2) for the advancement of the kingdom of grace and (3) for the hastening of the kingdom of glory.

What do we pray for in the third petition? Our Shorter Catechism, question 103 answers:

In the Third Petition—(which is, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven)—we pray, That God, by His grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to His will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.

In our present study, with the Spirit of the Lord helping us, we must step back to see how this catechetical statement is a faithful exposition of the Third Petition.

Let’s begin by considering what the will of God is.

1. What Is the Will of God?

The Lord Jesus teaches us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Obviously, He is referring to God’s will. But what exactly is God’s will?

Now, the Lord speaks of the will of God in the singular, and so does everywhere else in the Scripture, so we know that there is only one will of God rather than two or three or more.

However, when we search the Scripture, we will quickly notice that it speaks of God’s will in two senses. There is the decretive will of God, and there is the preceptive will of God, and they are very different. The decretive will of God is also known as the secret will of God because it refers to God’s plan from all eternity. The details of this plan are not made known to man. On the other hand, the preceptive will refers to the duties God requires of man. So, it is also known as the revealed will of God since it is revealed to man.

Now, there are some verses in Scripture where we are unsure whether the will of God referred to is the decretive or the preceptive will. But there are many verses where it is quite clear which aspect of God’s will is referred to.

Consider a few examples.

  • Ephesians 1:5: “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”
  • Ephesians 1:9: “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.”
  • Romans 15:32: “That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.”
  • Galatians 1:4: “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.”

Now, you may have noticed that all these verses refer to the decretive will of God. Of course, the decretive will of God is revealed eventually in providence. Thus, when Paul wrote Romans 15:32, he did not know whether he would eventually visit the Romans. We know from hindsight that He would, by the will of God, but as a prisoner.

But consider some other occurrences of the will of God.

  • Psalm 143:10: “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.”
  • Mark 3:35: “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”
  • John 9:31: “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
  • 1 John 2:17: “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Now, it is clear, isn’t it, that these verses all refer to the preceptive will of God since they all require obedience by man?

But what does our Lord mean when he says: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”?

Well, without going into too much detail, I would suggest that the Lord is referring to both aspects of the singular will of God. If He has taught us to pray that we may do God’s will, then we know He is referring to the preceptive will. But He teaches us, instead, to pray: “Thy will be done.” Thus, God may answer our petition either by doing His will Himself or having men or angels do it.

Thus, the third petition, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” can be understood from both angles of the decretive will and the preceptive will of God.

Consider, therefore, what it means to request of God that His decretive will be done.

2. The Decretive Will of God Be Done

The decretive will of God, as we saw, is what God has purposed to do in His secret counsel. The doctrine of election and predestination concerns God’s decretive will. But God’s decrees are secret until God brings them to pass by His providence.

For example, a man and a woman are about to be married. But until they make their marriage vows, they do not know if it is God’s decretive will that they will be married.

Anything could happen before they make their vows. The bridal car could be involved in an accident, and the bride dies. When that happens, we will know that it is not God’s decretive will for the couple to be married. But if the bride survives the crash and takes a taxi to the church and they say their vows, then what do we say? It is God’s will that they be married.

Some superstitious relatives may say: “Surely it is not God’s will for them to be married! Otherwise, there would not be such an accident on the wedding day!” But this is wrong thinking. Once the marriage vows are made and the couple is legitimately joined together, we must conclude that it is God’s will.

When we pray, “Thy will be done,” in reference to God’s secret decretive will, we are saying, “Lord, please do what you have planned, and teach us not to resist or demure.” In other words, we are praying that when God reveals His will in providence, we will be enabled to submit to it humbly and cheerfully.

So when we pray, “Thy will be done,” we are asking the Lord to give us a grateful heart that is prepared to accept all that God brings into our lives, whether we think they are good or bad. In other words, we are praying “That God, by his grace, would make us able and willing… to submit to his will in all things,2 as the angels do in heaven.” The angels, of course, are always submitted to God’s will in all things.

Thus, we pray that God will impress upon our hearts and help us live by the truth of Romans 8:28,  that all things work together for the good of God’s children.

  • So, if you are going for a job interview, you may pray: “Lord, help me to do well. I desire the job, yet not my will, but Thy will be done. So help me to submit to Thy will if I am rejected.”
  • So, if you are sitting for an exam, you may pray: “Lord, help me to remember all that I have studied. Grant that I may pass it that I may glorify Thy name; yet not my will but thy will be done. So help me to accept the results when they are posted humbly.”
  • So if you are praying for someone who is very ill and you don’t know if he will recover, you may say: “Lord, please restore Him, but if it be Thy will that he should not recover, grant him and his family the courage to bow under Thy kind providence.”
  • So when you pray for the salvation of your unbelieving friend, you may say: “Lord, I do not know if my friend is one of Thy elect. But I do greatly desire her salvation. Lord, grant that she may agree to come hear the gospel preached. Yet, not my will, but thy will be done. So, if she should die before confessing thee, help me, O Lord, to submit to Thy will.”
  • So, concerning the church, we may pray: “Lord, enlarge Thy church; yet not our will, but Thy will be done. Help us to submit to Thy will if Thou should scatter thy flock. Lord, increase the numbers at our prayer meetings, yet not our will, but Thy will be done. So help us not be discouraged but persevere even if the numbers remain small.”

This, then, is how we pray “thy will be done” with respect to God’s decretive will.

3. The Preceptive Will of God be Done

The preceptive will of God is essentially God’s commandments or all that God requires of us in His Word. To fail to do God’s preceptive will is to sin against God, for sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God. The law of God is essentially the preceptive will of God.

The Word of God, moreover, teaches us that a failure to do the will of God has consequences.

Consider, for example, how the blind man who was healed by the Lord says, matter-of-factly, John 9:31:

Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

Those who do not do the will of God will not have their prayers heard.

Likewise, consider the words of the Lord in Matthew 7:21:

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

That is, those who do not do the will of God will not be admitted into heaven. In other words, those who claim to be Christians but do not do the will of God are, in the eyes of God, false professors of faith. Those who enter into His eternal kingdom are not only justified in His blood, but they will live lives that are in accordance with the Law of God, or to the will of God. Those who live contrary to the will of God may be in for a terrible surprise on the last day.

This is why we need to pray that the preceptive will of God be done.

But how should we pray regarding God’s preceptive will? Naturally, we should pray for ourselves and others that more will be able and willing to know God’s will, and we should pray that those who know will indeed be able and willing to obey His will in all things. As our catechism teaches us, “We pray, That God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know [and] obey,…  his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.”

We may take the angels as our pattern of obedience because Psalm 103 tells us that they “do [the LORD’s] commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word” (v. 20).

  • Thus, we should pray: “Lord, help us to know and understand Thy laws. And as thou hast taught us that to love thee is to keep thy commandments, help us to keep thy laws.”
  • Again, let us pray: “By Thy powerful providence, Father, bring us to read and hear Thy laws afresh.”
  • Knowing our spiritual inertia, we should plead: “By the effectual work of thy Spirit remove our pride, and incline our ears and our hearts so that we are enabled not only to understand, but to obey Thy Laws, just as the angels do heavens.”
  • As we are daily tempted to live like the world, so let us pray with the words of the apostle Paul: “Father, help us not be conformed to this world: but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of thine” (cf. Rom 12:1-2)
  • Since sanctification is the will of God for us, let us pray, “Lord, help us to flee from all temptations to lust, that we may, according to Thy will, be holy as Thou art holy.”
  • As Paul teaches us that it is the will of God that we should give thanks in everything (1Th 5:18), so we pray, “Father, deepen our love for Thee and give us a grateful heart so that we may walk in accordance to thy will cheerfully.”
  • And as we will one day dwell in heaven as the angels do, we pray, “Lord, prepare us for our heavenly dwelling by making us walk more and more in accordance with thy laws.”

Conclusion

This is how we should pray the Third Petition, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”

WSC 103. What do we pray for in the third petition?

Answer. In the Third Petition—(which is, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven)—we pray, That God, by His grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to His will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.

We have seen how we may apply this petition to our prayer life. But now, as we conclude, let me remind you of three things you may take home with you.

First of all, we should, of course, actually begin to pray, “Thy will be done.” We’ve considered many examples of how to do so. Let us pray thus for ourselves! But let us pray the same for others, especially for professing Christians around the world.

Let us pray that God will, by His providence and Spirit, steer us in the way of obedience towards His law. Let us also pray that we will humbly submit to God’s will, revealed to us in providence, even when we may not like what has happened.

Secondly, as we pray, “Thy will be done,” let us earnestly desire that this prayer be heard. Therefore, let us also pray, “Lord, send us! And let us be busy in whatever ways we can to make Thy revealed will is known to as many people as possible.”

Thirdly, even as we think about the will of God, let us remind ourselves of He who alone was able to do God’s will perfectly. “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart,” says the Lord (Ps 40:8). “Not my will, but thy will be done,” He says in the Garden of Gethsemane. Indeed, it is because none of us can do God’s will perfectly that Christ came. He came to do God’s will for us. He came to pay for our failure to do God’s will. It was costly and painful for Him to do that. But He did it out of love for us.

Let us thank God for Him. Let us believe Him, love Him, and imitate Him. Let us also seek to make Him known, for only those who know Him and love Him will do God’s will cheerfully and enjoy God as the angels do in heaven. Amen.

 —JJ Lim

Edited by: LPS