Thy Will Be Done

An Inquiry into Quaker Beliefs and My Own

When I think or write about a spiritual issue, I turn first to the gospels to see what Jesus of Nazareth had to say on the subject. His comments are invariably insightful and challenging. When I went to the gospels to see what I could learn about prayer, I looked for examples of how Jesus prayed when he went off into a deserted place by himself. Though the gospels mention him doing that frequently, seldom do they describe what he did: how he prayed in those moments. I was mostly convinced that he did not say the prayer that he taught his disciples. But the only example of what he said in these solitary times was the prayer in the garden of Gethsemane on the night he was arrested. 

I’ve often wondered how anyone could know what he was saying at that time. He was alone; the three nearest disciples were asleep on the ground. Was he praying aloud or silently to himself, and, if to himself, how would anyone know what he was thinking? There are no answers to these questions. Despite these concerns, the prayer attributed to him has the ring of authenticity. Although I had read it many times, it took on new meaning for me as I began to think about it as an illustration of how to pray. And surprisingly, it also told me a lot about what Jesus believed. 

His Beliefs

First, Jesus is praying to God, which indicates that he believes there is some entity for which he uses the word “God.” We don’t know much about what he means when he uses that word. The closest he comes to a definition is when he says, “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24 [KJV]). In whatever way Jesus conceives of that Spirit, it is external to him; he is praying to it. He is not looking inward; he is looking outward to this Spirit that is the source of all creation. 

Secondly, throughout the gospels, Jesus refers to God as “Father.” The actual term he uses comes closer to meaning “Dad” or even “Daddy.” I believe he uses this term not as a description of God but as an indication of the nature of his relationship with God. He believes that he is connected to God in the same way a child is connected to a loving parent. He believes that just as a loving parent wants good things for their child, God wants good things for Jesus’s life. Thus, he can depend on and trust God as deeply as a child depends on and trusts a loving parent. Even though his understanding of God is something external to which he prays, God is not entirely separate and distinct from him; he is connected to God in a profoundly intimate way. 

Third, Jesus believes that God is a living and active presence in his life, giving him guidance, the same way a child sees their father as an active presence and guide in their life. He believes he can directly communicate with God and that God both hears and responds. Why would Jesus pray for guidance if he didn’t believe he would be heard and answered? 

The fourth is the difficult and critical part: Jesus believes that God has a will, an intention for his life. “Thy will be done” is the most important expression of his spiritual belief. God’s intention, for Jesus’s life, may very well be different from his own. But it is God’s will—God’s intention—that His will prevail and be carried out. Jesus’s task is to discern that intention; accept it; and follow it, regardless of where it leads. 

These are his spiritual beliefs as implied by his prayer in Gethsemane.

There are many statements in the gospels that are about what Jesus believes. For example, he believes we should love enemies as well as neighbors and do good to those who hate us. But those types of statements are beliefs about behavior. I was looking for Jesus’s core spiritual beliefs. I was surprised to find that this one prayer in Gethsemane gave me a better idea of what his beliefs were than anything else. 

There is, however, another belief that is not derived from his prayer but indicated by the Gospel of John in its description of the events of that night. He prays, and it appears he receives no answer, so he prays again and again with great intensity. Still, it appears there is no answer. But Jesus knows that God does not speak directly to him; God speaks through other people and events that guide him along the path of God’s intentions. So, when he sees Judas and the soldiers approaching, he recognizes that this is God’s answer—the cup will not pass—and he calmly accepts that. He could have hidden; he had time to run while his disciples distracted the crowd, but he did not do that. While his disciples struggle and skirmish with the soldiers, he stands by calmly, accepting God’s decision and what God has determined for his life. He stands calmly before the Jewish authorities, before Herod, and before Pilate. He surrenders his will, his life, fully to God. That is his strength and his message: Thy will be done. 

My Beliefs

When asked about my spiritual orientation, I usually say that I am a follower of Jesus in the framework of the Quaker tradition. That is confusing enough that both Quakers and non-Quakers ask me what that means. It means that my first spiritual inclination is to try to understand and follow Jesus’s teachings. In this case, it means to believe what he believes. 

I believe there is something for which we use the word “God,” and that it is as mysterious and as hard to define as “Spirit.” I tend to think of God as energy, a Divine Intelligent Energy that permeates the universe and all within it. 

I believe that I am as intimately connected to God as a son is connected to a loving father, that I can communicate with God, and that I can receive God’s guidance. 

I believe that God has an intention for my life—a destiny if you will—that may very well be different from my own, and that my task is to accept that as a gift no matter what it brings. 

I believe that God’s guidance comes through strange and unexpected events and contacts with other people who serve as God’s messengers, guiding my life along the way to my destiny. 

I have found that the Religious Society of Friends has provided me with the best context in which to nurture and practice these beliefs. One reason for that is the absence of a creed—of a specific set of things I must believe—allows me the freedom and opportunity to shape my own beliefs. At the same time, I feel there are important correspondences between my beliefs and traditional Quaker beliefs. 

Quaker Beliefs

I think most Quakers believe in something for which we use the word “God,” although other words may also be used to convey the same idea of a creative force. I think most Quakers believe we can have a direct relationship with God without the need for intermediaries. I think most Quakers believe in continuing revelation: that God continues to speak to us individually and communally. Sitting in silence in waiting worship is an indication of this. It is the way we open ourselves to listen for God’s leadings with the intention of trying to follow them. 

When I look at this list, I am surprised that I do not find the idea that “there is that of God in every person” or a reference to turning to an “inner light”: two ideas that I would normally say are core Quaker beliefs. That makes me wonder if maybe they are not the core Quaker beliefs. “That of God in every person” does not seem to have been one of George Fox’s central spiritual ideas. Contemporary Friends have lifted that short phrase out of a long letter and elevated it to a place of central importance that Fox may not have intended. The Inner Light is clearly a metaphor for something too difficult to explain in words. 

It has been said that George Fox’s task was to lead people to Christ and to leave them there. This leads me to wonder if there is only one core Quaker belief that may be common to all Friends, a core belief that was true for Jesus and also true for me: that we can have a direct relationship with God and can know God’s will, God’s intention for how we should live, and that we have a commitment to follow it. 

Thy will be done.