Thy Will Be Done

Dear GCI Family and Friends,

Discerning God’s will can often feel like an elusive pursuit in our spiritual lives. While walking through life’s storms and difficult decisions, we are continually reminded of our need to surrender our hearts to God’s divine purposes. My personal journey is marked by defining moments where God used my circumstances to draw me closer to him, fostering both spiritual growth and a clearer understanding of his will.

Even in seasons that appear fully surrendered to him, the Lord’s Spirit continues to inspire our souls, compelling us onward and prompting us to pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” Jesus not only instructed his followers to pray “Thy will be done” when teaching the Lord’s Prayer, but he also modeled this total surrender when he prayed the exact same words before his arrest and crucifixion.

To experience Kingdom Living, we must allow the Holy Spirit to shape our daily choices to reflect God’s will. This calls for a profound, intentional surrender — giving up our lives to mirror the unconditional, self-emptying Christ modeled for us. The apostle Paul beautifully captures this through the early Christ hymn in his letter to the Philippians when he said:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:5-7 NASB

Although Jesus never ceased to be God, he willingly laid aside his divine rights, veiling his glory to choose to live in full submission to the Father’s will as one of us. This self-emptying found its deepest expression in the ultimate surrender: a shameful and sacrificial death upon a Roman cross. More than just a theological fact, this is an invitation to respond to his grace.