When you say "thy will be done", do you really mean it?

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What if God has some awful suffering planned for you. Can you really say with gusto, “thy will be done”?
Maybe some of us mean “thy will be done, as long as you don’t make my life Hell” or “thy will be done as long as it coincides with my will”.
Yet I know there are some very real Christians on CAF, who even pray for more suffering. I’m not at that level yet.
We are only human. Only sinners. God can possibly see our efforts to pray as a stepping stone on our faith journey towards more spiritual maturity.
 
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When I pray that (in the Lord’s Prayer), I tend to think of God’s will on a broader scale, not in regard to my life and circumstances, but his Big Plan for all people and all creation. I really mean it and I wish with all my heart that all things will fall into place according to his perfect will. When that happens, I will have nothing to worry about personally.
 
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I try to mean it.
Although I find it to be the second scariest line in the Our Father.
(The scariest line being "forgive us…as we forgive).
 
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You ask great questions! This is the most sobering part of the Lord’s prayer, as we know that our will tends to oppose His. And yes, I want His will to be done.
 
Yes I mean it. I’ve tried to do my will and it rarely turns out well. I’d much rather be guided by God’s will. If you believe he is wisdom and love itself why wouldn’t you?
It is lack of trust to think just because you say Thy Will Be Done our loving Father will zap us with horrible things. That’s not the God I believe in.
Yes we will have our suffering, but “a bruised reed he shall not break.”
 
Limoncello4021 said:
Yes I mean it. I’ve tried to do my will and it rarely turns out well.
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That’s good testimony for us. Thanks. I have to say I agree with you whole heartedly. It’s high time I made God, full-time manager and CEO of my life.
 
Letting go in order to allow God to reign in your heart takes conscious effort and a strong will. Allow it to be powered by your love of God and love of fellow human beings.
 
Any prayer I pray asking for something for myself or someone else, I end it with Thy will be done.
 
It is a reminder to try to be like Jesus.

I have a much harder time with:

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.
 
Desire to love. Make it a priority, somcething worth grasping at. Love is a conscious decision we make. We are fooled - mislead - by emotions, which wax and wane. Love is a decision, a belief, if you will. Since my life has been spared innumerable times, I am thankful for each breath. Thankfulness and gratitude can be the foundations of love. Every blessing in your life is a product of God’s love of you. Every breath, every loved one God has placed in your life, and yes, you - whom God has placed in the lives of others.
 
I repeat that phrase - over and over - sometimes -
so it gets to my very marrow of being -
I even say the phrase backwards - I kid you not -
" done be will thy " - it’s not easy saying it ten times forward - ten times backwards - for one hour !
But yes, that’s a major key - to letting go - more and more -
a form of detachment - almost.
It’s like forgiving -
Part of his will is forgiving 24 / 7 -
NOT your will - but His will - be done 😇
 
I DON’T want to know - where - that gets you - lol

On the bright side, at least you now recognize - ‘mistake number one’ -
 
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I dont need to feel it in every weak second of pain, so I pray out of obedience and the knowledge on god´s all-knowing nature.
 
I have made it a point to say, “Thy will be done, not mine.” several times per day. If I catch my self saying it without really thinking about the consequences and meaning the proclamation, I break it down further. I’ll say, “God’s will be done, and not your will, Jay.”

I have been doing it for roughly 8 years, and today, I almost always have reconciled myself to God’s will in these circumstances.

The funny thing is, I have learned that the more I submit to His will, the better life seems to be. Things seem to go right. When they do go wrong, I am often able to see a pattern where God’s logic makes sense. God has a great sense of humor.
 
Regarding the petition “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” the Catholic Catechism teaches us , " Our Father “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” He “is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish.” His commandment is "that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."This commandment summarizes all the others and expresses his entire will.

“He has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ . . . to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will.” We ask insistently for this loving plan to be fully realized on earth as it is already in heaven."

“Although he was a Son, [Jesus] learned obedience through what he suffered.” How much more reason have we sinful creatures to learn obedience - we who in him have become children of adoption. We ask our Father to unite our will to his Son’s, in order to fulfill his will, his plan of salvation for the life of the world. We are radically incapable of this, but united with Jesus and with the power of his Holy Spirit, we can surrender our will to him and decide to choose what his Son has always chosen: to do what is pleasing to the Father ."
 
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I think I can split my life into 2 categories. The times I said and believed thy will be done and the times I said thy will be sort of done… so long as it’s not this.

Often my prayers were “Lord I don’t want to pray, help me to want to pray.”
 
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Very deep questions, I like those. I once discussed the same thing with my spiritual director and admittedly I am afraid of the same. Its our human nature to not to want to endure suffering yet Jesus never promised we wouldnt but that He would not leave our side thru it. That should be our consolation (I get that). I suppose my faith isnt as strong as it should be, which is why I am yet to fully surrender and say those words “thy will be done”. I meditate often about when Jesus was in the garden praying asking for the cup to pass him. But, the hope is that actually if I were to surrender, GODs will for me could be so much different than which I imagine. Only will I know once I surrender. Something to think about. Great questions. Peace be with you
 
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