“Not My Will, but Thine”

Tom Barnard

 

“He went a little father and fell on His face, and prayed, saying,

‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me;

nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’”

(Matthew 26:39 NKJV)

 

Thy will, not mine, O Lord,

However dark it be!

Lead me by Thine own hand,

Choose out the path for me.

I dare not choose my lot;

I would not, if I might;

Choose Thou for me, my God;

So shall I walk aright.

--Horatius Bonar

 

Jesus was not yet at Golgotha, but he was close. He was in Gethsemane, along with the eleven (Judas was absent, setting up things for the arrest). It was the night before Jesus died. He left some of his men behind, to pray. He took with him Peter, James, and John, and went a short distance deeper into the garden, asking them to “watch” while he prayed. He did; they didn’t. In agony of spirit, he asked to be spared. The answer came back. It was a “no” answer. It was not his first choice, but it was the Father’s.

 

Choosing the will of God is not an “either/or” choice. It is a “both/and” choice. It is accepting God’s will as your will. It is a firm “yes” to whatever He chooses for you. Period. His choice. Not yours. But it is always the right choice. Here is a quote from Edward Bouverie Pusey (1800-1882), a professor and minister in the Church of England. Though Elizabethan-sounding, the meaning is clear.

 

“Be this our watch-ward, brethren, for the Church, for those we love, for our own souls. Be this our rule in action, ‘not what I will, but what Thou’; this, in suffering; ‘not what I will, but what Thou.’ This shall hallow our hopes; this shall hush our fears; this shall ward off disquiet; this shall preserve our peace; this shall calm anxieties; this (if so it must be) shall soothe our heart-aches; this shall give repose to our weariness; this, the deeper our trouble, shall be the deeper foretaste of everlasting peace and rest. ‘Lord, not what I will, but what Thou’; not what I, in my misery, and ignorance, and blindness, and sin, but what Thou, in Thy mercy, and holiness, and wisdom, and love.”

 

Spirit of God, I cannot see my future. I can see the past, and I can see some of the present, but I only know “in part” about the future. Someday, with you, face-to-face, I will know everything. Since I only know in part, I throw myself on your wisdom and mercy. I pray that I will not miss your will for me; I pray that you will make my very next steps clear to me. I pray for courage to say “Yes” to each and every choice you want me to make. Clear my mind and heart. Accept this humble prayer. Impress it on my heart. Remind me that I have made this commitment to you, not just for today, but for every day you give me breath. In Jesus’ strong name I pray. Amen.