The Lord's Prayer: The Third Petition

The third petition in the Lord's Prayer is: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the third petition means in this way:  "The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also."

It must be admitted from the outset that we don't always see God's will being done around us with our eyes.  When it comes to suffering and pain in the world, we want to say:  "Either that's not God's will or He's a monster that I won't worship."  But the truth is this:  It's either all in His hands or it's not.  Either He allows our pain and suffering (an unpleasant thought at first), planning to work it together for good, or He isn't strong enough to save us from it (an even more unpleasant thought!).

But we don't pray for God's will as though He is "the dispenser of good and evil."  We pray to "our heavenly Father," who has revealed His gracious will to us in many way.  He graciously wills good for us and He is working to make it happen in the midst of a fallen world that will ultimately pass away.  His merciful and gracious will is most clearly seen by His sending His own Son to die in our place so that our death isn't "for good."  In this way, He even turns "earthly death" to a good end.

God also works lesser blessings for us in this life, but He will never sacrifice our eternal life for the sake of temporary comfort.  If you and I suffer in this life, it is part of God's plan and in accordance with His will... but not for the sake of our suffering.  Ultimately, it all works together "to strengthen us and keep us firm in His word and faith until we die."

That's the "will" we pray for in this petition!  That is the will of "our Father", the gracious God.

This is how the Reformers understood this Third Petition, too. "How is God's will done?"  They answered: "God's will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God's name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens us and keeps us firm in His word and faith until we die.  This is His good and gracious will."