November 9: Not My Will, But Yours

Most of your prayers are probably requests. What happens when you pray for God’s will instead?

There’s nothing wrong with asking God for things. Jesus told us to ask. But a lot of prayer can quietly turn into a wish list. Fix my marriage. Get me the job. Make that person change. Make this pain stop. All of it sincere. All of it about what we want.

Step Eleven asks for something different. It says to pray only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry it out. That’s a big shift. It moves the focus from “God, do what I want” to “God, show me what You want, and help me do it.”

No one shows this better than Jesus in the garden the night before He died. He knew what was coming. He was in such anguish that His sweat was like drops of blood. And He asked honestly: Father, if You’re willing, take this cup from Me. He didn’t pretend He wanted the cross. He told the Father the truth.

Then He said the rest. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.

That’s the model. Honest about what you want. Then surrendered to what God wants. Both in the same prayer. You don’t have to fake it. You can say, “Lord, I really want this.” And then, “But I trust You more than I trust what I want.”

For people in recovery, this prayer is deeply familiar, even if it’s hard. Self-will got many of us into trouble. We wanted what we wanted, when we wanted it, and drinking was often how we tried to get it or numb the pain of not getting it. Surrender was the turning point. Step Three was the decision. Step Eleven is the daily practice of that decision.

It’s not a one-time prayer. You’ll pray it about the same thing over and over. That’s normal. Each time, you’re loosening your grip a little more.

And there’s freedom in it. You don’t have to carry the outcome. You just do your part and leave the rest to Him.

One thing today

Think of one thing you’ve been asking God for. Pray about it honestly, and then add, “But not my will. Yours be done.” Notice how it feels to say it.

A prayer

Father, here’s what I want, and You already know it. But I trust You more than my own wishes. Show me Your will for me today, and give me the power to carry it out. Amen.

Praying for His will is the core of Step Eleven.

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