Luke 22:42 NKJV
“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Arabian horses go through rigorous training in the deserts of the Middle East to break their will and teach them obedience. The trainers require absolute obedience from the horses, and test them to see if they have been completely broken and trained. The final test is almost beyond the endurance of any living thing. The trainers force the horses to do without water for many days. Then he turns them loose and of course they start running towards the water, but just as they get to the edge, ready to plunge in and drink, the trainer blows his whistle. This is the test to see whose will the horse will follow, do they submit to the will of the master and stop though they are extremely thirsty or do the follow their will? The horses who have been completely trained and who have learned perfect obedience stop. They turn around and come pacing back to the trainer. They stand there quivering, wanting water, but they wait in perfect obedience. When the trainer is sure that he has their obedience he gives them a signal to go back to drink.
The will has the capacity to consider information, make judgments between conflicting opinions and courses of action and make decisions. The will makes decisions based on the information in the library of the mind the imagination memory and emotions. There is always a conflict between mans will and God’s will and we see a clear picture of this when Jesus is in the garden just before he is arrested to be crucified. His will is that this cup of persecution and death should be removed from him but Gods will is different. In his struggle he let’s go of his will and surrenders to God’s will because he trusts and believes that God’s will is better.
We have to also come to that place of surrender to lay down our will and in faith allow God’s will to take reign over our life. Like that horse, we have to be broken to let go of what we think we know and allow the Holy Spirit who knows the mind of God to lead us into Gods will. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
In what area of your life do you tend to push your will as opposed to submitting to Gods will? Like Jesus in the garden, have you ever had a situation where there was a strong conflict between your will and God’s will? What was the outcome? “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” what does that statement mean to you as an individual and what does it take to make it a reality?
