LD 49: The Third Petition

The angels marvel at us, and I marvel at the angels.

Their intrigue resides in the extent to which God went to save a sinful people so that He could demonstrate, establish, and exact His covenantal faithfulness (by proclaiming that He would be their God and we would be His people).  This is guaranteed by the marvel-provoking work of Christ’s active and passive obedience–signed, sealed, and delivered by the Spirit.  Verse 12 of 1 Peter 1:10-12 highlights this:

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (italics mine)

And yeah, I most definitely marvel at my salvation too.  And though not to the same extent, what I also marvel at is the concluding phrase of QA #124.  The writer says:

Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven.

The angels in heaven faithfully obey the Father’s will.  Their relationship to God is not mediated by Christ like mine is to the Father.  Christ has purchased me for Himself by His blood so that I can die to sins and live unto righteousness.  But what do I do?  I constantly try to advance my own will with much of my life a repugnant gesture of “back talk” to God.  No wonder angels long to look into these things: why would God want to show His love to us by sending Christ to die for us sinners (Rom. 5:8)?  Simple answer: to demonstrate the overflowing goodness of His glory.  This is marvelous.  I marvel at my salvation, and I marvel at the angels’ perfect obedience to God’s will.

It’s also humbling.  Given all that God has done for me, I still have to plead for Him to change my will (unlike the angels who willingly and faithfully follow God’s will).  In this third request I beg God to give me grace to live a life of gratitude to Him for His saving work, so that I’ll willingly, faithfully, (and again… thankfully) follow His will.  God is good and so is His will; I’m a sinner and so my will is sinful.  Only Christ can bridge the chasm between these polar truths.  The request is a constant reminder of how much I need my Savior.  I need this prayer request more than I will ever fully understand.

Finally, it also encourages me, because this request hints of the eschatological glory I will experience in heaven (just as the angels now experience) of an eternal life of perfect consummation in accordance to God’s will.  That’s truly heavenly.  Until then, I can now get a taste of God’s will in my life as I grow in grace and as I grow in faith.  Not surprisingly then, this is also a petition to build my faith.

Thank you, Father, for this third petition.  Make it truer and truer in my life…

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Lord’s Day 49

Q & A 124

Q. What does the third request mean?
A. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” means, Help us and all people to reject our own wills and to obey your will without any back talk.  Your will alone is good.  Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven.