The Best Portion / Лучшая доля

Continuing this series of translations of the commentary on the Lord's prayer from the book "Day by day," here is a short article on the third clause - "Thy will be done." The original Russian text can be found at :

По-русски: http://www.pagez.ru/days/index.php?id=month&month=06&day=07

The Best Portion

“Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Lk 11:2).

The best portion for a person on the earth is to do the will of God. Not sometimes, superficially, or unwillingly, but in the manner that it is done in heaven.

The first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer related directly to the Father: Thy name, Thy Kingdom, and Thy will. Christ is teaching us to put God first, where He belongs, to place things of heaven before things of earth, spiritual things before material things, and things of God before things of man. Christ tears away man’s gaze, chained as it is to his material surroundings, and directs it to the Father and to that which pertains to Him.

We, on the other hand, place ourselves first. Everything else is eclipsed by our own cares, needs, and business and we run with them to God as to the only possible escape from difficult situations in life. He himself, however, has no place in our lives. Because of this, our life is incorrectly led, sinful and aimless. Christ recognizes only one order of things, and proclaims it in this wondrous prayer: “in the beginning, God.”

Only when a person accepts this truth in his heart can he begin to live a genuine Christian life. Seeking first the will of God and fulfilling it as well as he can with the understanding which he has been given, he comes under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of God and begins to recognize and glorify the name of Him, from Whom proceeds all grace and the fulfillment of every need. Balance is then restored to his soul, and he then begins to accept the will of God, no longer with a spirit of reluctant submission, but with energy and with trust in God’s devoted love.

In one school they ask the children, “How is God’s will done in heaven?” Many write answers such as “willingly,” “immediately,” or “joyfully.” The last voice was that of a very small girl, who piously said, “without asking why!” Yes, those who consciously pronounce these three petitions and arrange their life in accordance with them fulfill God’s will with a trust that doesn’t need to ask any questions.