Jesus prayed that night in full knowledge of what awaited him in the next few hours. It was a terrifying thing, not just the death itself, but the betrayal, the abandonment, the injustice, the mockery and the abuse. His prayed earnestly in the Garden as he contemplated it. He was, Luke makes clear, in an agony .
Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.
It is a remarkable prayer for that moment. Firstly, he prays to his Father. Secondly, he acknowledges that what is to come is nothing other than the cup of God’s wrath (Is. 51:22; Jer. 25:15). But thirdly, and most remarkable of all, is the unqualified submission of his will to the will of his Father. Of course he didn’t want to die. He never saw death as a friend, even though he effortlessly freed Lazarus, and Jairus’ daughter and the widow of Nain’s son from its power. As a man he knew it as a terrifying enemy. But he had come to do his Father’s will. He had come to die. And so he prayed, not my will, but yours be done .
Centuries later theologians would spend a great deal of time pondering this moment in Jesus life. It is a moment when his human will did what human wills are always meant to do, allow themselves to be shaped and directed and even corrected by the will of God.
It is a right and proper thing to pray your will be done . God’s will must prevail. It alone is good and right and perfect. Our perspective is often too limited by our own circumstances and our lack of knowledge. Our will, like every other part of us, is misshapen by sin. So it need not be a lack of faith to add the phrase if it be your will . Of course it is another matter altogether if God has already made his will known (remember Gideon’s prayer in Judges 6).
Jesus taught us to pray with an eye to God’s will rather than our own. As you pray for Moore College over the next few months will you pray that we will live as Jesus lived, in unqualified submission to the will of our heavenly Father? Thank you.
Mark Thompson
Dr Mark Thompson is the principal of Moore College and Head of the Department of Theology, Philosophy and Ethics.
To mark Moore College Sunday held on August 3, we decided to share some resources on prayer to be a helpful ministry resource for you in your spiritual life. How can Moore be praying for you? Let us know: here.
*This blog post was originally published as a letter from the principal included in the June- August 2014 Moore College Prayer Bulletin.
