Is It God's Will?

God’s will, what He desires and plans, is huge! In our limited thinking we sometimes confine it to what I do, where I go, what I say, and is God going to be happy with me or not. God’s will is much bigger than that!

During a very tough time in my life, a number of praying friends urged me to “command” the physical and material aspects of the situation to comply with spiritual laws and produce the desired positive outcome. They insisted that the Scripture promises life (three score and ten years), health, prosperity, and so on. These things, they said, are God’s will for us.

Let me state very clearly that I deeply appreciate these friends. Without their prayers and practical ministry, I would not be where I am today. My faith, however, did not look or sound exactly like theirs. I simply could not say to God, “I know this is what You are going to do,” or even “This is what You have to do.” Instead, I prayed over and over, “God, I know You see me and hear me. I trust You. I don’t know what You’re going to do and that scares me, but I trust You and I’m hiding in You as my refuge. Nothing can bring harm to me here. I may suffer hurt or loss, but nothing—nothing—can move me from the shelter of Your wings.” I have a great deal of love and respect for my friends; just because we don’t agree doesn’t mean I don’t love them! Nevertheless, I am unable to conclude that my questions about what God intended to do eventually kept Him from answering as they thought He would.

In this time of crisis, I determined to search the Scripture to find what is distinctly the will of God. We can extrapolate a great many things and decide to call them God’s will, but if the Bible says, “This is the will of God,” then I can be absolutely certain of that being His desire and intention. I discovered that God’s will is not something that happens to us at all; it is something we do. Surprisingly few Scriptures say, “This is God’s will.” What comprises His will is this: living righteously, having a grateful heart, remaining faithful to Christ, spending eternity with Him. It is His pleasure, often, to give us exceptional displays of His love and care—the long life, health, happy relationships, and the plentiful resources we so greatly desire—but His will, His ultimate plan and purpose, is far greater.

Here is what I found:

• God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. (I Thessalonians 4:3)
• Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:18)
• And this is the will of God, that I [Jesus] should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life.” (John 6:39, 40)

Knowing this has been a great consolation to me. Floods and fire and famine, accident, sickness, and death do not have to be explained as "God's will" or "not God's will." He is searching for those whose hearts and minds are committed to proving that His will is just right for them! “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com