Thy Will Be Done

I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done.”

—Elisabeth Elliot

This is an easy prayer to utter, a nearly impossible one to live. How many of us have recited The Lord’s Prayer without thinking twice about the words: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

Good parents will not always say yes to their children’s requests. Good parents will not always grant a request the moment the child asks for it. God is good. In fact, God is the essence of good. And as such, He will not always say yes either. And sometimes He will make us wait for the answer. Is He being mean? No. He is teaching us to trust Him, to be patient, and to wait for the Giver not the gift.

Like Elisabeth Elliot, I too have come to realize that I do not learn life’s greatest lessons by receiving what I’ve asked for; I learn those lessons while waiting to receive.

℘ ℘ ℘ ℘ ℘ ℘ ℘ ℘ ℘

Elisabeth Elliot’s writing has greatly influenced my life, even as a grown married woman. I truly wish someone had introduced me to her works when I was a teenager, but I am learning that it is never too late to incorporate the principles she teaches: namely, that passion is not sinful and purity is not prudish. Nor are they mutually exclusive. You can have both.