The Lord’s Prayer · piece 18 of 26
The Third Request
From Luther’s Small Catechism, 1529
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May Your will be accomplished. As it is Heaven, so may it be on Earth. (Matthew 6:10)
What does this mean?
Truly, God's good and gracious will is accomplished without our prayer. But we pray in this request that is accomplished among us as well.
How does this happen?
It happens when God destroys and interferes with every evil will and all evil advice, which will not allow God's Kingdom to come, such as the Devil's will, the world's will and will of our bodily desires. It also happens when God strengthens us by faith and by His Word and keeps us living by them faithfully until the end of our lives. This is His will, good and full of grace.
In plain words
God’s good and kind will happens even without your prayer, but you ask that it happen among you too. God does this by stopping the devil, the world, and your own wrong desires from turning you away from God. God also makes your faith strong and keeps you close to God’s Word until the end of your life.
Our summary of Luther’s explanation, for reading after his words, not instead of them.
Where Jesus says it
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Matthew 26:39 In the garden before his death, Jesus prays that the Father’s will be done, not his own.
Read Matthew 26:39
39 He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
Translated by Robert E. Smith for Project Wittenberg (revised 2004) and placed in the public domain by the translator. How we checked it, and the whole Catechism on one page