Thy Will Be Done

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”

As a child growing up, The Lord’s prayer was probably the one of the most significant prayers I made. I knew that even if I had no other words to say, this prayer would always be acceptable and relevant. Did I fully understand what I was saying? Probably not! lol There is still so much revelation to this prayer which, even today I am yet to discover. This week I want to explore Luke 11:2 in more depth:

Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

As I continued to meditate on this verse of scripture, I was reminded of the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. Hannah was Elkanah’s wife; the first of 2. Although her husband loved her, she could not give him any children. We know from the story that despite Elkanah not pressing on this issue; the situation was a great source of grief for her. To make matters worse, Peninah (the second wife) constantly provoked her greatly to vex her because the Lord had left her childless.

Hannah believed in God and went to Shiloh yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord. One year, whilst in Shiloh, Peninah yet again continued to taunt Hannah which led her to weap and not eat. Even her husband’s words of comfort did not seem to help and she went up to the temple of the Lord. We know from the story that she was in distress of the soul, praying to the Lord and weeping bitterly. As Hannah prayed, she vowed to God that if He did indeed giver her a son, she would give him back to God for all his life and that no razor would touch the boy’s head.Who are you running to in times of distress or worry? Sometimes there are situations in your life where circumstances are so overwhelming that the ONLY person you can actually talk to and lay it all out to is GOD!

Eli the priest saw her praying in the temple and went to her to rebuke her from drinking too much because he thought she was drunk. I wonder how long she had been there and also what was her demeanour as she prayed apart from the fact that she was praying in her heart not out loud. I do like that Eli went directly to speak to Hannah about his assumptions, which is a great lesson for all of us.

God did indeed answer Hannah’s prayer and she bore a son. After she had weaned him, she took this boy she had named Samuel [heard of God] back to where the promise had been made. I wonder how she felt as she took Samuel back to the temple knowing that she would leave him there. Her act in keeping her vow was a sign of faith and trust in God. In doing so, God opened her womb again and bore more children.

Hannah did not have any foresight at the time of her prayer and in making the vow to God that it was so much bigger than just praying for a son and in part, to get Peninah off her back. Whatever it was; we know that Hannah’s prayer for a son collided with God wanting a prophet for the nation. God knows every tear we have ever shed and every prayer we have ever made. Even if we forget, God will never forget. He answers every prayer which you make which is according to HIS WILL!

God loves you & so do I! ❤