Over the past year, the Lord has been revealing to me my need for His peace. Even though I’ve only been in Pine Mountain at Impact 360 Fellows for three weeks, I can already see how His peace needs to influence the way I go about my days. With so much newness – new friends, new place, new rhythms, new school, and more, it can be easy to become distracted and forget that my desperate need for comfort and peace is found in something better, someone better. Matthew 9:9-13 provides a solution in a simple prayer:
“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, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
This perfect prayer, given by Jesus Christ as an example of how to approach the Father, is known by many. Still, this prayer is far too often overlooked or considered insignificant to one’s daily life. One of the most outstanding characteristics of the prayer is Jesus’ overflowing humility, leaving only God the Father to receive glory. The phrase, “Your will be done,” holds such great power. How often can one honestly and willingly submit all expectations, goals, and securities to the Father? When a grade eagerly worked for disappoints, the Father’s will is being done. When the relationship desired falls short, the Father’s will is being done. No matter the situation, the Father’s will is the top priority, and He ensures His will be done. The Father owns every day and circumstance. It is difficult to remember God’s authority over all of life because so easily days are claimed and God’s rule over every situation is neglected.
Life at Impact 360 Fellows is busy, exciting, challenging, and quite frankly can become overwhelming, so the self-driven or self-reliant mentality naturally sneaks in. Think about how quickly toddlers learn to claim anything as their own. This nature is not outgrown or instinctually put aside, and as people mature, the urge to control or own only grows. Still, the Father asks that all things be willing given into His hands. To see God’s calling for our submission, look to Isaiah 55:8-9,
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
God alone controls this world, so He alone is the leader. God does not expect us to neglect our opinions or aspirations. Instead, He asks us to zealously seek His will and step down from fighting to be in control. God’s will is loving and secure, yet sometimes murky and unknown. He empathizes with the humanness of His children because He designed humans to not understand everything. God’s plan may not seem good in the darkness, but God is good all the same. To find rest, consider the lyrics in the song “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.”
“How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.”
God never promises a life of bliss, but He does promise to be present. To access the peace of the Father, simply place your burdens upon his shoulders. Continue to work hard, recognize problems, and fight the earthly battle, but all along live in confidence that God is your strength and victory. As life pushes you farther than before, be comforted in the power of the Father’s rule. Do not commit your life into the hands of your own limited, conflicted self, but give your life into the hands of a loving Father who treasures you so intensely that He would give His own son for your salvation. Let His will be done to enjoy the fullness of your intended life.
by Meg Carley