Not My Will, But Yours

Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done. Luke 22:42

So Jesus prayed. So I have prayed, and I imagine, you have as well, "...take this cup...". And He has, or, He has not. As we know, thankfully, God did not take the cup, Jesus suffered through, and in Him there is atonement. 

In the first part of the prayer we understand, in faith-knowledge, that we worship a God who actively participates in our lives. In the second part is the prayer, "yet not my will, but yours be done", we witness our Lord Jesus offer his life through submission and confession - truly, the summation of the faithful prayer life. 

There is nothing in the scripture to indicate this was easy for him, nor should we expect anything less for ourselves. The greatest challenge in each of our lives is to submit in to, and to live out of that prayer, "yet not my will, but yours be done", in all things, big and small, and everything in between.

O God, search or hearts and innermost being that you would draw out from each of us any shred of self-will, that your glory would shine more brightly through us, and our lives would testify to you, precious God, the One who creates, redeems, and sanctifies. Your will be done, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else....