Thy Will be Done

Matthew 26:42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

Jesus is nearing the time when He must give His all for sinners on the cross. He is Omniscient, He knows about the cruel death that awaits Him. As a man robed in flesh, I'm sure the thought of pain and suffering does not appeal to Him. As the Savior of the world, He longs to offer the way to Heaven for all who will receive it. He prays, "O Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it," - He admits that it will be a hard thing to endure. But then He says the words that caught my attention today, "thy will be done". The Lord has been dealing with me about His will for my life for a couple of days now. I realized that I've been "kicking and screaming" (figuratively of course! haha!) to get out of the trial I'm in. I am always looking for an escape. The Lord pricked my heart just yesterday that perhaps I'm in this trial to learn to accept trials; to learn to stop "kicking" and take it like a woman who trusts God and desires His will.

Believe me, I'm not writing this flippantly. It was a bitter pill to swallow, to say to the Lord, "Oh, Lord, yes, I will stay in this trial for as long as you want me here. I will stop kicking, fighting, wishing to be out of it." I thought of the song by Ron Hamilton called "Rejoice, in the Lord". One part says:

"I bowed to the will of the Master that day, then peace came, and tears fled away."

I didn't mean not to bow to His will, but I haven't been. I will admit, it's hard. It's not fun to die to self and bury the hopes I had for the future. I do have hope that my Lord will see me through this trial. I have hope in Him for a better and brighter tomorrow. If not here, then on the other side! Before, I was hoping in my own desires, not His. I do have peace now. I'm still waiting to see if the tears have stopped. They are probably not gone forever, but maybe now they will less bitter!

I'm learning that anyone can say they want God's will for their lives. It's another thing entirely to want it when no one is watching. He has changed my perspective, and my longing is that it stay focused on Him forever.

The Formula for Peace

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

10 Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, will be exalted in the earth.

I'm a homeschooling mom of five kids and a pastor's wife. This means I live in a fishbowl. Everyone watches me, and most criticize me. No, not to my face. But do I look stupid? Wait. Don't answer that. Forget I asked that, okay? :) I know what people say...it gets back around eventually. It may not be, and probably isn't, their exact words. But it gets around. It gets distressing. Oh, and guilt! Wow! Do I know about guilt! I often think, "Why don't I do that?" "I'm such a bad mom because I don't do that!" "Oh, wow, I blew it there!" And so the guilt mounts.

Criticism + fatigue + guilt = a very distressed me.

These verses today reminded me that when the criticisms come, when the storms of life are raging, He is my refuge and strength. I run to Him! How? By praying and studying His Word!

Then, I get still. This is the hardest part for me. I want to fix the problem. I want to do something. But He wants me to relax and rest in Him. He will handle the critics. He will give me rest. He takes away the guilt by reminding me that I must not compare myself to others. I must do what HE wants ME to do.

HE + ME = PEACE!

I have a lot to do today: Groceries, house work, budgeting, homeschooling...oh and I have to go to the doctor for my horrible asthma. I usually have to wait a long time at the doctor's office, which stresses me. But, I won't let it bother me today! I'm planning to just be still, to wait, to rest.

These verses reminded me of a song with wonderful words. I hope you like them, too.

When the storms of life are raging,

Stand by me (stand by me);

When the storms of life are raging,

Stand by me (stand by me);

When the world is tossing me

Like a ship upon the sea

Thou Who rulest wind and water,Stand by me (stand by me).

Are you in a storm today? Is your life rocking you to and fro, up and down? The One upon whom we call is the One who said this:

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. - Mark 4:39

I Practice Mind Control

Is. 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust yet in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.


I try to read my Bible each day until I "get" something from Him. It's not always (or ever?) a profound Bible truth or a goose-bump giving promise, but it's something. It may be a verse that I think would be good to memorize, or a reminder of something I need to work on. Or, it might be seeing an "old friend" - a verse I underlined sometime in the past. I was so pleased today when I opened right up and immediately heard from the Lord.

The verses above have been quoted hundreds of times. I have Is. 26:3 memorized and have had it memorized for a while now. Yet, as I read it today, along with verse 4, I heard the Savior gently calling to me, telling me that I was not heeding these verses.

If I dwell on negative thoughts, troublesome situations, hurts of the past and so forth, my countenance falls and the tears flow. Soon, my words follow my heart and I begin to pull others down by sharing my heartache with everyone. I get lost in my depressed world and snap at anyone who disturbs me. When one comes along to encourage me, to remind me of my blessings, I get resentful and I fight for my right to remain blue. Basically, I'm wallowing in self-pity. And it all began with my mind!

I'm going to practice mind control today. I'm going to try to keep my thoughts on my blessings, for there are so many! I'm going to cry out to my Father for strength when I am weak, for our verse says through Him, we have everlasting strength! That's certainly what I need!

When I feel myself sliding down the slippery slope toward woe, I'm going to cry out to my Lord for help. Too often I pray in the morning and then no more the rest of the day. I want to talk to Him often, and rely upon Him each moment of my day.

I wish you a very blessed weekend!