Why pray 'your will be done' if God already has a will?

⁵“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward.

⁶But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

⁷In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.

⁸Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him.

⁹Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

¹⁰Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

¹¹Give us today our daily bread.

¹²Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.

¹³Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen. ’

¹⁴“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

³⁶Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.”

³⁷He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled.

³⁸Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.”

³⁹He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”

⁴⁰He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour?

⁴¹Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴²Again, a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.”

⁴³He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

⁴⁴He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words.

⁴⁵Then he came to his disciples, and said to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

⁴⁶Arise, let’s be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.”

¹³These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

¹⁴This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.

¹⁵And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.

¹⁶If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this.

¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

¹⁸We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him.

¹⁹We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

²⁰We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

²¹Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

¹When we had departed from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

²Having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail.

³When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload her cargo.

⁴Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days. These said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.

⁵When those days were over, we departed and went on our journey. They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed.

⁶After saying goodbye to each other, we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.

⁷When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers, and stayed with them one day.

⁸On the next day, we, who were Paul’s companions, departed, and came to Caesarea. We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

⁹Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

¹⁰As we stayed there some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

¹¹Coming to us, and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit: ‘So will the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

¹²When we heard these things, both we and they of that place begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

¹⁴When he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The Lord’s will be done.”

¹⁰For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it grow and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

¹¹so shall my word be that goes out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing I sent it to do.