20 Days With the Lord’s Prayer Day 6: Our Heavenly Father knows best.

20 “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Back in the 50s there was a TV show called Father Knows Best. I dare say that the sentiment expressed in that show’s title has become a foreign concept to much of the world today.

That being said, rebellion against authority is as old as the fall of Satan. And for mankind, rebellion against authority marred what was meant to be a beautiful existence in the garden of God.

Think of it: The drive for self-determination is one of the first things that shows up in human development. Any parent—or one who has dealt with small children—knows the frustration of trying to help a toddler learn to do anything, as they resist, asserting with, “Me do it.” Indeed, it seems that very early on there is the desire to do it our way, to make our own mistakes.

Now, the drive to become who we were created to be is a quality instilled in us by our Creator. However, the sin nature has perverted that desire, often turning us away from being teachable to becoming stubbornly attached to our own misguided ways of being and doing.

In our model prayer, the Lord teaches us to request that God‘s will be done. Indeed, this is something He modeled for us in the Garden of Gethsemane, as this perfect Lamb of God: all God, all man, struggled to set His face directly toward His cruel death on the cross.

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭41‬-‭44‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The Lord wrestled with the humanity in Him that did not want to suffer. Yet, He was obedient to the will of His Father, even to His death on the cross.

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Friend, our way may seem right, but as the writer of Proverbs has attested, our way ends in destruction and death.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Paul expresses this same sentiment in his letter to the Christians in Rome:

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Remember, our Heavenly Father does know best. Jesus wants us to know that. Jesus wants us to pray for God’s will to be done.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!