Adam Clarke was an early Methodist theologian and biblical scholar who is best known for his commentary on the Bible. In it he writes concerning the phrase “thy will be done” in the Lord’s Prayer —
The will of God is infinitely good, wise, and holy; to have it
fulfilled in and among men, is to have infinite goodness, wisdom,
and holiness diffused throughout the universe; and earth made the
counterpart of heaven.
To pray “thy will be done” is to acknowledge that often it is not. That heaven is an ideal that God desires to make a reality. But it is not yet real here and now. To pray these words is to confess, to long, to dream, to hope.
