“He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.”
— Luke 22:42–43
Welcome, ☺️
I’m thankful you’re here today. May the Lord use this devotion to help you surrender every situation in your life to Him.
How often, when you pray and ask the Lord for something, do you include, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done”?
Depending on the circumstances, that can be a challenging phrase to speak honestly from the heart.
We read that Jesus knelt in the garden, praying to His Father in anguish as He contemplated the suffering and death that awaited Him on the cross—the greatest trial that would ever be borne. He would give His life as an offering for the sin of the whole world.
And though He asked His Father to take this cup away, Jesus willingly surrendered to His Father’s perfect will, saying, “Not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Maybe you can recall a heartbreaking situation in your own life—or in the life of someone you love. In anguish, you cried out to the Lord, telling Him about the situation and asking Him for the outcome you desperately wanted to see.
But did you end your prayer with, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done”?
The words of an old hymn come to mind:
“All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give…
Lord, I give my life to Thee…
Glory, glory to His name!”
The moment we trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior, we gave Him our lives. We said, in essence, “Not my will anymore, but Yours, Lord, be done.”
We surrendered control to the One we can always trust.
Our precious Lord loves and cares for us deeply and personally. We may not understand what He is doing or why He allows certain things in our lives, but we can trust His heart even when we cannot see His hand.
“Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.”
The Lord, in answer to our cry, may ask us to wait. He may say no. He may allow us to walk through something we would never have chosen for ourselves.
But we can be confident that He will provide the grace, comfort, and strength we need to carry on each day.
So, no matter the situation in our lives or the lives of those we love, we can say with Paul:
“I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:10
Why?
Because His grace is sufficient.
There are a few things I want to keep in mind when I am struggling to surrender my will to His:
The Lord is lovingly using every situation in my life to transform me into the image of His Son.
He is working all things together for my ultimate good and for the lives of those I love—for all those who love Him.
He has given me a sure hope: one day I will spend eternity in His presence.
I may not know what tomorrow will bring. I may not understand why God has allowed a particular circumstance. I may even find it difficult to pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
But I can bring that struggle honestly before Him.
And then, by His grace, I can open my hands and surrender once again.
Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done.
A Quiet Prayer:
Lord, what am I afraid to surrender to You? Give me grace and strength to let go. I know You love me and have the best plan for my life in every situation. Amen.
Steeped in God’s love,
Evelyn
Lyrics by Judson W. Van de Venter
