Jesus taught us in the Lord’s prayer to say, “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” And this is one of the most important lessons we ever have to learn. It is very easy to say these words—“Thy will be done;” but it is not so easy to feel them, and to be and do just what they teach. The will of God is always right, and good, and holy. Everything opposed to his will is sinful. St. Paul tells us that—“sin is the transgression of the law.” To transgress a law, means to walk over it, or to break it. But the law of God is only his will made known. And so, everything that we think, or feel, or say, or do, contrary to the will of God—is sin. And when we remember this it should make us very anxious to learn the lesson of submission to the will of God. If we could all learn to do the will of God as the angels do, it would make our earth like heaven. And this is one reason why Jesus was so earnest in teaching us this lesson. He not only preached submission to the will of God, but practised it. When he entered Gethsemane, he compared the dreadful sufferings before him to a cup, filled with something very bitter, which he was asked to drink. Now, no person, however good or holy he may be, likes to endure dreadful sufferings. It is natural for us to shrink back from suffering, and to try to get away from it. And this was just the way that Jesus felt. He did not love suffering any more than you or I do. And so, when he prayed the first time in Gethsemane, with those terrible sufferings immediately before him, his prayer was—“Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” But the cup did not pass away. It was held before him still. He saw it was his Father’s will for him to drink it. So, when he prayed the second time, his words were—“O, my Father, if this cup may not pass from me, except I drink it: thy will be done!” This was the most beautiful example of submission to the will of God the world has ever seen.
When Adam was in the garden of Eden he refused to submit to the will of God. He said, by his conduct, “Not thy will, but mine be done:” and that brought the curse upon the earth, and filled it with sorrow and death. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, he submitted to the will of God. He said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” This took away the curse which Adam brought upon the earth, and left a blessing in the place of it—even life, and peace, and salvation.
We ought to learn submission to the will of God, because he knows what is best for us.
“The Curse of the Granted Prayer.” A widowed mother had an only child—a darling boy. Her heart was wrapped up in him. At one time he was taken very ill. The doctor thought he would die. She prayed earnestly that his life might be spared. But she did not pray in submission to the will of God. She said she did not want to live unless her child was spared to her. He was spared. But, he grew up to be a selfish, disobedient boy. One day, in a fit of passion, he struck his mother. That almost broke her heart. He became worse and worse; and, at last, in a drunken quarrel, he killed one of his companions. He was taken to prison; was tried—condemned to be hanged—and ended his life on the gallows. That quite broke his mother’s heart.
Now God, in his goodness, was going to save that mother from all this bitter sorrow. And would have done so if she had only learned to say—“Thy will be done.” She would not say that. The consequence was that she brought on herself all that heart-breaking sorrow.
And then we ought to learn submission to the will of God—because, whatever he takes away from us—he leaves us so many blessings still!
Here is a good illustration of this part of our subject. Some years ago, in a town in New England, there was a minister of the gospel who was greatly interested in his work. But he was attacked with bleeding of the lungs and was obliged to stop preaching and resign the charge of his church. About the same time his only child was laid in the grave; his wife, for a time, lost the use of her eyes; his home was broken up, and his prospects were very dark. They had been obliged to sell their furniture and take boarding at a tavern in the town where they lived. But, under all these trials, he was resigned and cheerful. He felt the supporting power of that precious gospel which he had so loved to preach. His wife had not felt as contented and cheerful under their trials as he was.
One day, as he came in from a walk, she said to him: “Husband dear, I have been thinking of our situation here, and have made up my mind to try and be patient and submissive to the will of God.”
“Ah,” said he, “that’s a good resolution. I’m very glad to hear it. Now, let us see what we have to submit to. I will make a list of our trials. Well, in the first place, we have a comfortable home; we’ll submit to that. Secondly, we have many of the blessings of life left to us; we’ll submit to that. Thirdly, we are spared to each other; we’ll submit to that. Fourthly, we have a multitude of kind friends; we’ll submit to that. Fifthly, we have a loving God, and Saviour, who has promised to take care of us, and ‘make all things work together for our good;’ we’ll submit to that.”