Question 124

What is the third petition?

“Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” That is, grant that we and all men may renounce our own will, and without murmuring obey thy will, which is only good (Acts 21;14); that so every one may attend to, and perform the duties of his station and calling, as willingly and faithfully as the angels do in heaven (Ps. 103;20, 21).

Acts 21;14.—The will of the Lord be done.— Ps. 119;33-36.—Matt. 16;24.—Titus 2;12.

Ps. 103;20, 21.—Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.— Heb. 1;14.—Eph. 4;1.

Scripture references for paragraph 1

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

Acts 21:14
14When he would not be dissuaded, we fell silent and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Psalms 103:20
20Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.

Psalms 103:21
21Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will.

Psalms 119:33-36
33Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep them to the end.
34Give me understanding that I may obey Your law, and follow it with all my heart.
35Direct me in the path of Your commandments, for there I find delight.
36Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.

Matthew 16:24
24Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

Titus 2:12
12It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

Hebrews 1:14
14Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Ephesians 4:1
1As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:

Source and edition

Heidelberg Catechism. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879

Public Domain (historic text); CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikisource transcription). Source transcription.

Transcription licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0.

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