Not My Will, But Yours, Lord

NOTE: You may listen to it HERE.

I don’t always pray, Lord,
I don’t always pray
Till I find the door closed.
Then I cry to You.
Help me pray like Jesus
In Gethsemane.
Not my will, but Yours, Lord,
Not my will, but Yours.

Sometimes when I pray, Lord,
Sometimes when I pray,
I want things I shouldn’t have
And You answer, “No.”
Help me pray like Jesus
In Gethsemane.
Not my will, but Yours, Lord,
Not my will, but Yours.

Often when I pray, Lord,
Often when I pray,
I seek quick solutions,
But you tell me, “Wait.”
Help me pray like Jesus
In Gethsemane.
Not my will, but Yours, Lord,
Not my will, but Yours.

I don’t always pray, Lord,
I don’t always pray
Till I find the door closed.
Then I cry to You.
Help me pray like Jesus
In Gethsemane.
Not my will, but Yours, Lord,
Not my will, but Yours.

Lead, I’ll follow You, Lord,
Lead, I’ll follow You.
I can’t see in darkness,
But the dark is light to You.
Help me pray like Jesus
In Gethsemane.
Not my will, but Yours, Lord,
Not my will, but Yours.

About This Song

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Some years back my wife was telling me about Jan Karon’s Mitford novels, and she mentioned that Father Tim always said that “Not my will, but Yours” was one prayer God would always answer. That idea stuck in both my head and my spirit.

You probably recall the biblical account of Jesus going to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and taking His disciples with Him. But not even His closest friends could stay awake while He agonized about the unspeakable physical, emotional, and spiritual torture he knew he was going to endure during the next twenty-four hours.

The human part of Jesus wanted to be spared that suffering–who could blame him?–but the divine part of Him knew how important following and obeying His Heavenly Father’s will was. If He didn’t die, the sin that had been part of the human condition from the time of Adam and Eve on would still go on without being forgiven.

And if He didn’t die He couldn’t be raised from the dead to conquer death and provide eternal life in Heaven for all who believe in Him.

So Jesus spoke those simple but unforgettable words as the climax of His prayer, knowing that God His Heavenly Father would answer it, “Not my will, but Yours.”

That’s how we need to pray, too. Wouldn’t you agree?

Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Audio recordings and videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.

Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

About Roger E. Bruner

Seventy-five-year-old Roger E. Bruner is the author and publisher of twenty Christian novels and the writer of more than two hundred Christian songs and choruses, a handful of musical dramas, and a number of shorter works. He sings, plays guitar and bass, and records his original songs in his home studio. He is active in his church's nursing home ministry He also plays bass guitar on the church raise team. Married for seventeen years to Kathleen, he has one grown daughter. Kathleen has two. Roger enjoys reading, moderate exercise, photography and book cover design (he's done all of his own except for Rosa No-Name), playing Snood, making walking sticks, and complaining about the state of the nation while continuing to pray for it.

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