“Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me–nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’” — Luke 22:41-42

---

Lessons in life can feel formidable. Lessons in faith and trusting God, all the more so. As is His way, God finds it most beneficial to us when He combines the two. I am currently leading a Bible study on faith, and we have expressed more than once that it is easy to have faith when all is going well in our lives. We learn to identify the depth of our faith in how we handle the struggles and hard things that come our way. When we allow it, our faith experiences the most growth in the darkest of days.

I do not, nor have I ever, played baseball. That being said, I have spent countless hours at a baseball field, watching endless innings of baseball, and being mom to a son who was born with a love of the game that is unparalleled. I consider myself well-versed in the sport. This time of year, baseball-ese is often the primary language spoken in our home, though not as much as in years past. If there is one thing I know, it is this: baseball is the ultimate sport of failure. If you bat .300 in your professional career, you are most likely a Hall-of-Famer. However, to bat .300 means that you only get a hit three out of every ten at bats. Hence, a sport of failure. To play this game, one must develop a mental toughness that is unrivaled. Bearing witness to this can be soul-crushing to a momma’s heart.

Couple with that a son who also loves Jesus and this creates fertile soil for lessons in faith. More than once, I have wrestled in prayer with God over the physical injuries and mental gymnastics at play in his life. At times, I want to rail against God, demanding answers to the whys. God has thick skin and broad shoulders so He not only withstands my questions but He also welcomes my doubts, questions, heartaches, and even anger. I struggle with being an encourager to my son and wanting him to how I really feel and what I really think.

Recently, amidst texting dialogue with said son, he used the words, “trust the process.” And this can apply to many, many circumstances. I pondered that and the positive attitude associated with it before I formed a reply. And I was reminded to remind him that it is not the process we should trust, but the God who is in control of the process and who has a plan.

God, being God, of course could not leave it at that for me. He challenged me in my thinking. And by challenged, I mean He knocked me flat as I found myself praying for His will to be accomplished. I was sharing with God my frustrations and question, acknowledging that He is control and that He has a plan, while also somewhat sarcastically thinking it would be great to have the smallest clue what it is He is doing. I uttered the words of Jesus in closing to Him, “not my will, though, but Yours,” when He said to me, “Do you really mean it when you say not my will, but Yours be done?”

For days, this has played over and over in my mind. When I say to God, “Your will be done,” do I mean it with all sincerity? Am I really willing to accept what is His will even when it does not align with how I most desire for things to go? To truly live surrendered to His will, this would be life-changing for me. Any chance to complain when things go awry or just not well, would now be gone if I truly start living and believing that God’s will is best.

Seemingly, I only want God’s will when it feels better to me or like a better outcome than I could have anticipated or planned. But what about when His will is better for me even though it feels like the sky is falling? Will I trust His will when I am being broken down or attacked? Can I honestly say that in regards to my children and His will for their lives? Do I mean it then when I pray for His will to be done? To trust unswervingly in the will of God is to accept that I do not always know what is best, to recognize that God does not need my assistance in bringing His will to fruition, and to surrender what I want with the faith that God’s ways and thoughts far surpass my own.

Consider Jesus. As He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to His crucifixion, He asked God to allow the cup of suffering He was about to endure to pass from Him, yet surrendered His will, His best interest, to that of the Father’s. Jesus knew exactly what that meant for Him. He was fully aware that what God had for Him was to go all the way to Calvary, to bear the weight and sin of the entire world in His body on the tree, to suffer unimaginable physical pain and spiritual torture as He died in our place.

Jesus did not need anyone to atone for Him, for He was the perfect and sinless Lamb of God. He set His face to the cross in order to bring us to Him now and forever because we could never, ever earn our way to Him. This Jesus, our Savior Jesus, prayed from the depths and anguish of His soul for His will to surrender to His Father’s for our good.

When we pray for God’s will to be done, I propose we allow the magnitude of what we are saying to have its full effect on us. I suggest that we begin to fully grasp the concept of surrender and place our full faith and trust in God and believe that His will and His plan is worth setting aside our own wants and desires. 1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “But as it is written, What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived–God has prepared these things for those who love him.” It is one thing to say we trust God and surrender to His will. It is altogether another to believe it and actually live it out in our daily lives.

Yes, life lessons in faith are not for the faint of heart. Because when all is stripped away, the question at the very core is, am I willing, like Jesus, to truly and fully surrender my will to the Father’s? Even when it takes us to places we would not choose to go and carries us into unknown territory and uncharted waters. Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done. The key is right there in His title–Lord. For Him to be Lord of our lives, we must bow in surrender to His lordship. We must humbly acknowledge that He is sovereign and in control and choose to place ourselves under His mighty hand and authority.

Where is God asking you to trust His sovereign will today? Sure, it may feel like the biggest risk of your life, but I promise, God’s will and ways are, and will always be, worth it. What we gain from surrendering to Him can not be taken from us. Now, when I find myself praying, “Your will, God,” they are no longer mere words, but a prayer that God bring my will into alignment with His.