Many times I have been guilty of seeking for God’s endorsement of my plans rather than my surrender to God’s plans for me. If I’m honest, my prayers have probably sounded a lot like “Lord, let my will be Your will. Let what I want be done by Your power.”

But if I’m still being honest, I’m thankful God didn’t grant me my will. I’m grateful He didn’t use His power for my purposes. That would have been a disaster, especially since I really don’t know what I want half the time.

There’s a verse in Proverbs that says that we make our plans but the Lord directs our steps. As much as I want to trumpet my own free will, God is still sovereign and it’s His will that prevails every single time.

I’ve had a go-to prayer that I’ve used for years that has never failed me yet. It’s simple. It goes like “Thy will be done.”

That’s it. Four words, 13 letters.

It might seem like an odd prayer to ask God to do what He was already going to do in the first place. If prayer is about changing God’s mind, then it’s a pointless prayer.

But if it’s really about changing me and my perspective, then those four words open my eyes to see God at work in my life and in the world. I gain a broader view, a sort of heavenly vantage point. Suddenly, those anxieties that take up so much of my time and thoughts seem insignificant and God’s heart for the world becomes my heart for the world. God’s will becomes my will, not the other way around.

Of course, you can always use the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray:

“Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
    as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
    Yes. Yes. Yes.”