The Will of God

Hebrews 2:4

How are you doing with the “Will of God”?  I’ve not heard anyone use the term in this manner in sometime, but as a child, and in my youth, it was common to hear this phrase, “see you next week, if it is God’s will?” That makes me wonder, do we no longer consider the will of God?  Are we so much into ourselves that we do not even inquire or think, or ask the question; are my actions in keeping with the will of God?

Let me be quick to confess; I’m guilty of not stopping, of not asking, of not even thinking, on a regular basis, is this action in keeping with the will of God?  I am no longer a rebel, I want to be in the will of God, but often I just assume that I am, and that is not necessarily close to the truth.  How can we go back to a mindset of asking first before acting, be submissive to His Divine will? 

God called David a man after His own heart, and Psalm 40:8 opens a window to that kind of heart; “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”  Could this be our problem, we put other stuff in our minds and hearts; we have not put the written word of God in our heart so that we have a guide that reminds us of “the will of God.”

What if we learned from this great king David, the one God calls “a man after his heart.”  We would learn to seek God, yes, we would learn to pray before acting, we would ask God to let the Spirit lead us, look at Psalm 143:10, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God!  Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” 

You may be wondering, has Jesus Christ spoken on this subject, and that is always a great question, and the answer is often; one time his mother and brothers were worried about him and came to talk with Jesus, a man in the crowd said teacher your mother and brothers are outside and want to speak with you; this was Jesus reply to that man: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”  And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”  (Matthew 12:48-50)

Many today who recall the past often wish we could return to that time, but it is history, it’s called the past for a good reason, and much of it you would not want to go back too.  But to return to a mindset of seeking first the kingdom of God, to not only say words about the will of God, but to set our hearts and minds on being submissive to the will of God, that is what James 4:15 instructs us as the rule of everyday life.  “Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:15)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice