June 23

Prayer Establishes Our Release to God
Words into Action

Scripture Reading: Luke 22:39-46

Key Verse: Luke 22:42

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Three years before Luke 22:42 was written, Jesus had taught His followers to pray to our Father, “May your will be done.” Now Jesus is putting those words into action in His own life. Facing the cruelty of the crucifixion process, Jesus pleaded with the Father for an alternative plan. At the end of His request, Jesus released His grip on the answer He wanted. It was a short, simple phrase with powerful implications of trust: “not my will but your will be done.”

Jesus lived out a situation that every believer would face: releasing their grip on their will. I find it easy to say “may your will be done” when I’m not passing through a test. It is during those painful, and sometimes devastating, periods of our lives—when our prayers become pleadings directed toward our heavenly Father—that this phrase is so difficult. It is in these valleys that we must find our faith and nail it down. It is during these hours (days or months) that trusting God’s plan proves our faith. It is my opinion that we need this proof much more than God does. We need to find the confidence that we can do all things through Christ. Our Father knows that these spiritual realities are revealed to us during the dark days of testing.

Whatever you may be going through, are you releasing your will to God? When you can’t possibly see how this one will work out for good, can you cling to His wisdom and power? If so, bow your head right now and tell Him: “May your will be done!” Jesus did and the angels ministered to Him. They will do the same for us!

Father, life hurts right now! I need your strength. I refuse to cling to my wants. May your will be done! In Jesus’ name, amen.