Surrendering Our Wills

Surrendering Our Wills

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

God’s will is done when our wills are broken. It pleases him when our wills are hindered and defeated. So when someone talks about you as if you were a fool, you shouldn’t disagree. Instead, agree and let the criticism appear correct, for it’s certainly correct before God. If a person wants to take something from you and harm you, you should allow it to happen as if it were all right with you. For undoubtedly it’s right before God. Even if the person were wronging you, it still wouldn’t be unjust. For it’s God’s will either way, whether he uses a wicked person or a good person to take something away from you. Instead of resisting, you should simply say, “Your will be done.” This is true in both physical and spiritual matters. For Christ said, “If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well” (Matthew 5:40).

Someone might ask, “If that’s what it means for God’s will to be done, who can be saved? Who can keep this difficult command to surrender everything and not have their own will in anything?” My reply is that we should learn how great this prayer is, why we need it, and how earnestly we should pray it. It’s crucial that we allow our wills to be totally defeated so that only God’s will is done.

Notice that in the garden, Jesus said, “Yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Undoubtedly, Christ’s will was good—in fact, the best one of all time. If Christ had to surrender his will so that God’s will could be done, why do we poor little worms want to make such a fuss over our own wills?