Praying for Our Father’s Will
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
12/28/2014 AM
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Text:
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Psalm 103;
Lord's Day 49
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Psalters: |
256, 335, 89, 283 |
- For what we pray.
- The will of God's command is His desire/pleasure for the conduct of His moral creatures (Romans 12:2).
- It is the right of the Creator to be the law-giver (James 4:12), i.e., to determine right conduct for His creatures.
- The angels in heaven perfectly do God’s will (Psalm 103:20,21; Isa. 6:2,3; Matt. 18:10).
- God’s will is revealed and known.
- The Bible is the revelation of God’s will – the only revelation of it, and thus is the infallible rule for obedience.
- Scripture does not speak to every circumstance of life: a menu order, calls, occupation, college, etc.
- It is necessary that we pray this petition.
- It implies that we also have a will, but it is always limited and dependent.
- First, this petition is a request for grace to deny ourselves (Matt. 16:24).
- To pray that the will of God's command be done is to ask for the grace of obedience.
- We ask for the grace to discharge our duties properly and cheerfully (reluctance is not real obedience).
- Those who do not do the will of Jesus’ Father will not enter the heavenly kingdom (Mattt.7:21).
- “As in heaven” is added to indicate what kind of obedience is being prayed for.
- The angels in heaven are rational moral creatures who only do God’s will.
- “As” refers to the kind of obedience, not to the degree of it; we lovingly desire to please our heavenly Father.
- While not yet perfectly delivered from sin, it is our Father’s will that we desire perfection and constantly pray for it.
- “Perform the duties of our station and calling.”