Inside: The spiritual anchor that helps us loosen our grip on our plans and release the details of our lives back into the hands of the only One who knows exactly what we need.
Certain seasons of life bring a greater urgency to our prayers.
When life hangs in the balance, chaos swirls, and we face more questions than answers.
When we’re watching on the sidelines, quietly—perhaps desperately—hoping for God to intervene in a loved one’s life, praying that they will respond when He does.
In the waiting room—when we have a dream that seems like it will never be fulfilled, and the fulfillment of it is largely out of our control.
Spiritual Anchor
It was during a season like that last one, when Randy and I were struggling with infertility, that I first learned to pray for God’s will to be done, not mine. It became a spiritual anchor, this phrase that Mitford author Jan Karon calls the “prayer that never fails.”
I’ve come back to it over and over in the years since. It helps me to loosen my grip on my expectations and anxieties, to release the gritty details of my life back into the hands of the One who knows precisely what I need and has promised to fulfill His purposes for me (and you too).
Your will be done.
Quiet Before the Storm
I’ve been praying for many things over the last several months. Overall, though, life has been pretty calm and uneventful.
In other words, it’s been quite some time since I felt the urge to pray this particular prayer regularly and fervently.
Then a quiet, peace-filled December was followed by a January that hurled various bits of unexpected at us. I don’t know about you, but even normal life transitions can throw me off, especially if they seemingly come out of nowhere and I don’t know how they’re going to end up.
We’ve had a few of those going on, plus another more serious (though not life-threatening) issue to navigate.
What Next?
Then one day, I remembered the prayer that never fails. Not that I had forgotten it, as one forgets the name of an old acquaintance or what one had for Sunday dinner three months ago.
As I said earlier, however, I hadn’t prayed it consistently for a while.
May your will be done, not mine.
Looking Back
Deuteronomy 32:7 says, “Remember the days of old; consider the years long past. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will teach you.”
I came across this verse after I chose remember to be my OneWord for 2023. As I think back on seasons of my life long past, a few things stand out. God’s faithfulness, for one, and also what happens in my mind and heart when I remember to pray “thy will be done.”
I suppose it goes without saying, but I’ll tell you anyway. The phrase is back in my daily prayers again, calming my heart and helping me to deposit my cares directly into God’s hands, right where they belong.
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Have you ever “remembered” something that helped you in years past just as you were wondering how to deal with a current situation? Is there a particular verse or phrase from scripture that centers your heart and helps you release your cares to Jesus in prayer? Please share in the comments …
♥ Lois
Even normal life transitions can throw me off, especially if they seemingly come out of nowhere and I don’t know how they’re going to end up. Share on X 'Thy will be done' is back in my daily prayers again, calming my heart and helping me to deposit my cares directly into God’s hands, right where they belong. Share on XP.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.