Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our debts, as we also have forgotten our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. -Matthew 6:9
Every parent experiences the battle of wills; The parents will against the child’s will especially when children are very young and discover the amazing concept called choice. But the battle of wills doesn’t only take place during childhood. It is a human battle between equals, between authorities and subordinates, and between mankind and God.
Indeed, the first skirmish in the battle of wills took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve had to choose God’s will or theirs. Sadly, they chose their will instead of God’s.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray that God‘s will would be done “on earth as it is in heaven,” He was saying to pray for God‘s kingdom to come using different words. God’s kingdom is in the realm in which God rules. When God‘s will is done on earth, each kingdom has precedence . So the best way to establish God‘s rule on earth is to obey God‘s will. His rule and his will are the same.
God‘s will is always done in heaven. It is done on earth when we submit to Him – as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.
You are a sinner by birth, by nature, by practice and by choice.
John Blanchard
From Pity to Praise 