A number of years ago when I was going through a rather difficult time in my life I was introduced to a song by Jessica King titled "Keep Me In Your Will." The lyrics of this song had a profound impact on my life as it is a prayer asking God to "keep me in [His] will, so I won't be in [His] way." Sometimes my plans are NOT God's plans, and my will is NOT God's will. Two questions come to mind about this: How do I know what God's will is? and how do I stay in it?
Scripture gives us a glimpse of God's will in 2 Peter 3:9 where we are told that God "is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Jesus tells us in Luke 19:10 that "the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (NASB). It appears that a primary part of God's will is the salvation of the lost.
Paul provides another aspect of God's will in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 where he tells us "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (NASB). Apparently being content in where we are and with what we have is also a significant part of God's will. If we go back to verse 12 we find several other aspects of what appears to be God's will for us: appreciation for those who minister to us, admonishing the unruly, encouraging the fainthearted, helping the weak, being patient with one another, seeking good for everyone - even those who hurt us. Some of these seem easier to do than others - encouraging the fainthearted is much easier than seeking good for those who hurt me - but we are reminded that ALL of them are part of God's will for us in Christ Jesus!
There is an interesting story that unfolds in Matthew 16. Jesus asked the disciples who the people said that He was. After hearing their answers He asked them, "who do you say that I am?" Peter responded by proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah - to which Jesus praised him for his insight and immediately promised a direct connection with God as the disciples ministered on earth. In verse 21 the tenor changes as Jesus begins telling them about His impending death. Peter calls Jesus aside and rebuked Him saying "this will never happen to you!" Jesus' response gives us a fascinating insight int what happens when our focus shifts from God's will to our own - He calls Peter "Satan!" When we focus on our own will instead of God's we become agents of the devil!
A little over a year ago Lisa and I decided that our wild and uncontrolled 1 1/2 year old Australian Shepherd, Pogo, needed some discipline in his life so we enrolled him in obedience classes. One of the rules of the class was that the dogs were not allowed to bark. My immediate thought was, "yeah, right!" The instructor told us that dogs bark at what is in their line of sight and in order to prevent (or stop) their barking you need to change what they are looking at. It fascinated me that simply turning him around so he was looking in the opposite direction completely stopped his barking. We have used that technique to make our morning walks less stressful - simply walking him in the dark so he wouldn't be distracted by all that was going on around him calmed him down. (I wonder sometimes if that is why God allows me to walk in the dark so often so I won't be distracted by everything that I would see - but that is another topic all on it's own!)
How do we ensure that we are walking in God's will allowing us to help facilitate the will of God being accomplished in my corner of the universe. In Romans 10:14 & 15 Paul asks us "How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent?" He continues in verse 17 with "faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (NASB)
When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven when the disciples were asking Him if now was the time He was setting up His kingdom (their will NOT His) He informs them that they WILL be His witnesses. This is not optional, we WILL be witnesses for God - one way or another - good or bad. Many people are terrified of having to give their testimony, but all that is involved is simply giving an account of what you have personally experienced. Remember, a witness is something your are, testimony is something you give. And your testimony is simply telling YOUR story. No one knows your story better than you!
Many times it is easy to get distracted by what others are (or are not) doing. In John 21 Jesus and Peter are walking on the beach having a private conversation where Jesus is giving Peter a sneak peek into his future when Peter turns around and spots John following behind them and asks, "what about him?" Jesus' answer should speak to each one of us, "you don't worry about him, you just follow me." Are you willing to follow where ever He leads, regardless of what others are doing, and without concern for the personal consequences that you might face. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in Daniel 3 where they declare "our God is able to deliver us... but even if He doesn't we will still serve Him." Are we willing to sacrifice our plans and our dreams to stay in the will of God?
