WSC #103: In the third petition, which is, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, we pray that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.
I: DEFINING THE “WILL OF GOD”
A: God’s will is simply what He desires.
B: The Distinction: God’s secret will and revealed will
Deut 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
The revealed will of God is also called His pre-ceptive will, and is the standard of man’s moral obligation. The secret will of God is also called His decretive will; it is not a rule of human duty, and cannot be known by man except as it unfolds in the events of God’s providence; however, some parts of the secret will of God have been revealed in the prophecies of the Bible. J. G. Vos
II: GOD’S REVEALED WILL
A: We are asking that God would enable us to know & obey His revealed will. (Ps. 119)
B: Praying that we would be diligent students of God’s Word.
III: GOD’S DECRETIVE/SECRET WILL
A: We are called to accept and submit to God’s will. (Job 1:21)
B: “… He went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’” (Matt. 26:42)
IV: ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
A: Reminds you that you are destined to be perfect and presented faultless before God’s throne.
B: Reminds us that this prayer was answered in Jesus Christ. |
