Whose Will, Mine or His?

SCRIPTURE: Matt. 26:39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

OBSERVATION: A question we have to be willing to face in our life is this; whose will is going to be done? For Jesus to commit Himself to His Father's will meant facing a horrible, painful death. No wonder He was asking that it be taken away from Him. For us it is very unlikely that it would ever be God's will for us to suffer like this. Yet, even in the petty sufferings, in being asked to give up things that are not good for us anyway, to step out and obey God at the cost of nothing more than our time and possible embarrassment we find ourselves struggling to choose His will over ours.

At the heart of being a servant (the word really is "slave") of God is a willingness to give our will over to Him; to be ready to do what He asks, when He asks, how He asks. We have to be able to say; "not my will but yours."

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: I still want to retain the right to choose whether to obey or not. It's not that I want to be disobedient. I choose, at least most of the time, to obey. But God wants more, He wants my will to be His--that I would decide once and for all that it is His will and not mine that will control my life.

PRAYER: Conquer this rebellious heart. I want to give up control to you but I find it so hard. Please give me the grace to give you my will and take on yours.