God's Will

I’ve heard about and watched many Christians wrestle with the question, “What’s God’s will for me?” However, I think that knowing God’s will and knowing the mind (or heart) of God is not as difficult as we sometimes make it out to be. In fact, there is an abundance of Scripture that speak of God’s will or desires.

First and foremost, God desires that all men be saved (I Timothy 2:3, II Peter 3:9, Matthew 18:14, John 6:40). Once we are saved, or born again, it is God’s will, or God’s desire, that we imitate or grow up into Jesus. The Scripture references for these are numerous, but Paul says it this way in Romans 8:29: “For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son…” In Ephesians 2:10, Paul adds, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” After Scripture tells us that “doing good” is God’s will, Scripture goes on to define what doing good means. Some of the Scriptures are, I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:18, I Peter 2:15, Titus 3:8, and Ephesians 3:10.

When I think about God’s will, or what God expects and desires, I cringe because what I want and what God wants are on a collision course with each other. My friend Dave pointed out that the heart of this conflict is usually selfishness.

Jesus wrestled with the Father’s will as well. In the Garden our LORD cried out, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for You. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:36, Matthew 26:39). However, I don’t think Jesus wrestled with selfishness. On the contrary, I think that Jesus wrestled with righteousness, justice, and mercy. I think that it would have been well within Jesus’ rights to walk away from the cross.

I know my conflict is different than Jesus’ struggle, because I would have ended my monologue with God after the first two sentences. Yet, if it is God’s will that Jesus be our example (I Peter 2:21, 15), I would ultimately have to surrender and confess Jesus’ words, “Yet not what I will, but what You will.”

I am also coming to understand that if this is the big picture, and if it is also at the heart of God’s will, I should be learning not to micromanage God. Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and don’t sweat the small stuff” (Matthew 6:33, paraphrased). Paraphrasing Jesus again, He said, “If you find yourself overwhelmed by the small stuff, come to Me and I’ll comfort you” (Matthew 11:28-30). This is such a paradox. If trusting in the LORD is God’s will (Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38, 11:6), why is it so difficult to do?