Deo Volente - Luke 22:41-42

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” - Luke 22:41-42

   Christ agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying to His heavenly Father to remove Him from  the fate of death by crucifixion . . . if He was willing. In lieu of that plea being granted Christ went on to say, “not My will, but Yours, be done.” In short, Jesus prayed for His deliverance from death . . . God willing.   
    How many times in our lives have we heard the desire for a particular outcome petitioned with the small prayer, “God willing.” Even unbelievers will sometimes use the expression revealing their fervent desire for a positive outcome. But in reality, the remark truly describes the decretive will of God. We must make no mistake here: God’s will shall be done. Whether it is the birth of a child, the tragedy of planes hitting buildings, that unexpected promotion at work, or the death of a loved one; they all have one thing in common - they are reflect the will of God. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure . . . .’” - Isaiah 46:10.
    Many will object to the negative events, especially when such calamities involve tragic losses to ostensibly “good people.” How could God do such a thing? How could He allow it? Why would He allow it? All are legitimate questions when seen from a perspective clouded by ignorance of God’s absolute sovereignty. Think about it for just a moment: how do you define God? Perhaps your definition is faulty. Among other traits, God is the absolute. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent; all powerful, all knowing and always present. Consider this: only if God was not all-powerful could bad things happen in spite of His authority and if He is not all powerful then He is not God! It is precisely as the late R.C. Sproul so eloquently said - “If there is one maverick molecule in all the universe, then God is not sovereign. And if God is not sovereign, He is not God.” So what are we left with? We are left with God, who does all things according to His will. “. . . your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” - Matthew 6:10.
    Many people, both believer and unbeliever alike have a serious problem with this concept. But because a concept is uncomfortable we can’t simply dismiss it for something we find more palatable. The fact is, everything that happens in our fallen world happens according to the ordinance of God Almighty and for no other reason! If it happens, it’s because God ordained for it to happen. “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” - Daniel 4:35.
    The question “why” still remains. Why do terrible things sometimes happen? The simple fact is that we just don’t know. The finite mind of man can never understand the infinite mind of God, nor should we try. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:8-9.
    Praying against the will of God is futile. All we can do is pray for God’s will to be done. “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’;  whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’” - James 4:13-15.
    Of course, there will always be “need” in our lives. We all “need” material possessions simply to function: it is a mark of our humanity. But remember that God is all knowing. He already knows our needs and Jesus has assured us - “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” - Matthew 6:31-33.
    We must understand the sovereignty of God before we can come to terms with what happens in our lives or the lives of others. And while there will certainly be both happiness and heartache, if we understand God’s will we can face anything, knowing His will for us is without error. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” - Romans 8:28-30. In God’s glory resides our own glory that we receive through faith in Jesus Christ who prayed, “not My will, but Yours be done.”