DRAWN NOT DRAGGED

DRAWN, NOT DRAGGED — Part 7: “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”

When we pray, “Thy will be done,” we are not asking God to take control away from us. We are asking to be aligned with Him. In the original phrasing, this line belongs together with what came before: Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done: they are not three separate ideas. They are one movement. Where His will is done, His Kingdom is present, and His Name is made holy. And then we say: “On earth as it is in heaven.” Actually the original is as in heaven (God’s presence may this be so on earth or even finer point in earth-meaning in us!

This does not mean “down here like up there,” as though heaven were simply a distant place. The deeper meaning is this: As in Christ…so also in us. Christ is the One in Whom the will of the Father is perfectly fulfilled. Not reluctantly. Not under pressure. But freely, completely, in selfless love. So when we pray this line, we are not asking for something abstract. We are asking: “Let the same Life that is in Christ begin more and more to take shape in me.” This is where the prayer becomes very personal. Because we all know what it is like to hold on to our own will. To want things our way. To resist what we do not choose. But Christ shows us another more excellent Way.

Not forced obedience— but willing surrender to Truth and Life. Not dragged—but drawn. To say, “Thy will be done,” is to place our lives into God’s hands and say: teach me to trust You, teach me to follow You, teach me to live Your Way, not mine. This does not mean we become passive. But does mean we become alive in His new Way. Because God’s will is not against us. God’s will is for our healing, for our wholeness, for our life to be bearing fruit…fruit that will last (see Galatians 5:22,23)

And yet, this is not easy. To pray this honestly means letting go of control and means allowing God to work in us in ways we may not expect. But we do not do this alone. We are drawn into what God places before us and God’s grace meets us -God’s uncreated energies enable and enfold us-the Holy Spirit counsels, advocates, live in and through us. And slowly—sometimes quietly— our will begins to change: where there was resistance, trust begins, where there was fear, courage grows, where there was self-will, love takes root- this is how heaven comes to earth. Not all at once— but truly.

Question Where am I still holding on to my own will… instead of trusting God’s?

Prayer Our Father,Thy will be done.As in Christ,so also in me.Teach me to trust You,to follow You,and to live Your Life.Draw me into Your will,even now.Amen.

Fr. Ray Dobson
©2026