NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE

Some people are convinced that, regardless of their bad behavior, they must be in a right relationship with God because He is good to them.   Not true.   God is good to them not because they are in a right relationship with Him, but because He wants to be in a right relationship with them.   Scripture says,  “And thinkest thou this…that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?   Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;  not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”   (Romans 2: 3-4)   And just as mistakenly, some think that all suffering is the direct result of a sin that has been committed believing that if you are going through a difficult trial you must have done something wrong.   Another misrepresentation of the truth.

Of course we believe God’s Word which tells us,  “Be not deceived; God is not mocked:  for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”   (Galatians 6: 7)    But God is the One Who is in charge, not us, and His judgement is always right.   Therefore, some suffering may be the direct result of a committed sin such as the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been paralyzed for 38 years where Jesus healed him and said, “Behold, thou art made whole:  sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”   (John 5: 14)

But some suffering is not the direct result of a specific sin, such as the man who was born blind that Jesus healed at the Pool of Siloam and His disciples asked if it were he or his parents that sinned that caused his suffering.   Jesus answered them this way:  “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents:  but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”   (John 9: 3)     Either way, the fact of the matter is that all suffering, none of which happens without God’s knowledge, can be used by God for our good and for His glory, as is demonstrated by these 2 events.

In this day of worldwide turmoil, chaos and suffering, we as servants of God are not immune to difficulty or tragedy.   The patriarch Job was not afflicted because of sin in his life, but that God would be glorified.    The prophet Jeremiah wasn’t thrown into a muddy well because of sin in his life, but that God would be glorified.    Jesus’ friend Lazarus didn’t die because of sin in his life, but that God would be glorified.   And all things happen according to the will of God.

But sometimes we are resistant to God’s will because we don’t understand it and we have a natural human tendency to avoid unpleasant things so we ask God to remove that unpleasantness, not considering what God may have to say about the matter.   And I suppose that one could get the impression that God will instantaneously grant every request we make of Him because He is so good to us and His Word rightly instructs us to come to Him for all of our needs.  Scriptures from the gospel according to  Matthew 7: 7-8  encourage us to,  “Ask, and it shall be given you;  seek, and ye shall find;  knock, and it shall be opened unto you:   For every one that asketh receiveth;  and he that seeketh findeth;  and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”   

Or how about  Philippians 4: 6   which tells us to  “Be careful for nothing;  but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”    We are genuinely blessed to have the One Who has all power on our side.   The One Who can turn back the hands of time, cause demons to tremble at the mention of His name, put a halt to the most virulent plague, heal the deadliest disease, freeze our enemies in their tracks or even raise the dead back to life.    He truly is  “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.”   (Ephesians 3: 20)    And because of this, you have every reason to be incredibly encouraged and to  “Delight thyself also in the LORD”   knowing that  “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”  (Psalm 37: 4)    

But the question is this:   Are we truly delighting ourself in the Lord, and are the desires of our heart all about Him and His will, or is it about us?   Do we want what He wants more than we want what we want?   More specifically, is our spiritual intimacy with God more important than anything that we crave in our carnally corrupt condition or our pursuit to be placed in positions that only produce physical and psychological pleasure?   Does the deadly lure of prosperity, power and popularity take precedence over our mandate to serve the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength?   Doing the will of God should be the number 1 priority in our life no matter what the conditions are because His grace is sufficient for all of our needs.

To illustrate this, I will take you back to an event that occurred in the 14^th chapter of the book of Genesis.    Recall if you will the Battle of the 9 Kings in the Valley of Siddim when Abraham, who was called Abram at the time, rescued his nephew Lot along with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who had been taken captive and their goods stolen.   After the Lord orchestrated a miraculous military victory for His friend Abraham, the King of Sodom offered Abraham compensation for his heroics but he refused and said,  “I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,   That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich…”   (Genesis 14: 22-23)   

God knew that the kidnapping was going to take place.   He also knew that He would secure their liberation and how He was going to use it for His own purpose.   And Abraham knew that his reward was his unhindered relationship with God.   This was confirmed by God Himself when after this all had occurred God came to Abraham in a vision saying,  “Fear not, Abram:  I Am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”   (Genesis 15: 1)     Beloved ones, our connection to God through His Son Jesus Christ is priceless and this is because there is no greater gift than Him, the One Who willingly and painfully gave up His precious life to ensure that we would have access to rivers of living waters.   He is the ultimate prize.   And just like God had greater things in store for Abraham, He has greater things in store for you as well.    All according to His will.  

Of course, it would be nice if His will happens to line up with ours, but His desire should always take precedence over ours even when it involves our health, our wealth, our wants or our needs.   Reflecting back again on the patriarch Job, when he lost all of his money, his servants and even his children, he modeled what our mindset and heartset should be, even when going through the most trying of circumstances.   Instead of complaining and bellyaching about the devastating situation which had befallen him, he accepted his condition and worshipped God anyway saying,  “Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither:  the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”   (Job 1: 21)    And when things got worse and he was struck with an excruciating physical infirmity, His goal was always to be in agreement and in alignment with God, even if He did not understand what was happening, why it was happening or why he had to suffer through it.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be like Job and remember to focus on God like that when we are in our own personal furnace of affliction, in combat with a den of demons or even struggling through the throes of mental meltdowns?    Well, actually we can.    As the Apostle Paul wrote to his beloved church brethren at Philippi saying,   “…for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”  (Philippians 4: 11)  

Did you get that?   Paul is making an incredibly important point that we often pass over too quickly or ignore altogether.   He said that he had to learn contentment.   He had to go through some stuff.   He had to take the good with the bad and still maintain the right attitude.   Reminds me of the gospel song by Andrae Crouch which lyrics state, “Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God…..Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His Word!”

You see, what both Paul and Andrae are saying is that patience in tribulation allows the personal learning process that is so necessary to our spiritual development to flourish.   As  Romans 5: 3-5  tells us, “…but we glory in tribulations also:  knowing that tribulation worketh patience;  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  And hope maketh not ashamed;  because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”   It is in this specific position of humility and submission that true understanding and acceptance of God’s will in all instances takes place and we come to the realization that we must steadily decrease and the Lord must continually increase in our lives.  

In other words, we need more of Him and less of us.  But this requires that we wait for Him and not expect Him to jump when we snap our fingers.   As Luke, the beloved physician recorded,   “In your patience possess ye your souls.”   (Luke 21: 19)    Just knowing that the Lord will always be there for us should have a calming and comforting effect on us during times of distress and automatically prompt us to consider Him first, always conducting ourselves in a godly manner, regardless of the circumstance.   “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:  for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”   (Hebrews 13: 5)    True contentment does not mean a lack of individual ambitions.  It just means that your joy and soul satisfaction is not determined by worldly standards of health, fame, possessions or status.   As Paul indicated, he was able to find fulfillment whether he had a lot or whether he only had a little.   His peace, his passion and his pleasure was found in God and God alone.

Now we know that God is faithful and God is patient.   But it’s not about God’s faithfulness …… He wants to know where ours is.   It’s not about God’s patience …… He wants to know where ours is.   We have to keep in mind that God is much smarter than we are and He sees way down the road.   We have no clue as to the infinite vastness of His being, the total magnificence of the glory of the pre-existent, timeless and holy One Who said in the Old Testament,  “I AM THAT I AM”   (Exodus 3: 14)  and again in the New Testament,  “Before Abraham was, I AM.”   (John 8: 58)   He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present Creator of all things and is not obligated to reveal the intricate details of any of His actions to any of us. We can ask God for anything, but we can't tell Him nothing. In fact, He sometimes has to take us down a notch and remind us of who we are.   “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.   For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”   (Isaiah 55: 8)    

Nonetheless, our flesh is still prone to question the motives of God, particularly when we are suffering, even if our suffering is the result of choices we’ve made.   But don’t forget, you have an enemy who is stalking you like a lion with the intention to kill, steal and destroy.    And though he doesn’t care who becomes his target, he particularly preys on the those who are young or immature in the faith, those struggling in their faith or those who get complacent in their faith.  But don’t let him catch you slippin’ because he'll take anybody he can get.   He wants us all to suffer and die in our sins, no matter who we are.  

But suffering is nothing new to the body of Christ.   John 16: 33  tells us that suffering in this world will come one way or another and  2 Timothy 3: 13  says that all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.   So, if suffering is unavoidable,  “…let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed;  but let him glorify God on this behalf.”   (1 Peter 4: 15-16)     So don’t suffer for doing things you shouldn’t be doing.   But also never forget that Almighty God always reserves His sovereign right to step in and alter the condition or the outcome of events that we think are inevitable or irreparable.

Still, some have even gotten angry with God, blaming Him for allowing certain unpleasant things to happen, not able to see any good that can come of it, forgetting that scripture says,  “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”   (Romans 8: 28)     Now how many of us really  know  this or do we just hope this?    We have to believe with all of our heart that God has a perfect plan for this universe collectively and for each one of us individually.   Plans which cannot and will not be derailed.   Plans beyond our comprehension that work out for our good.   Plans that demonstrate His compassion, His mercy and His grace.   Plans based on His incomprehensible and everlasting love for each one of us.   As it is written,  “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”   (Jeremiah 29: 11)

But as Paul said about having to learn to accept God’s will, getting to this level of spiritual maturity helps us to understand and accept that it’s all about Him and not about us.   It is then that our perspective about asking for things or our attitude when going through things will change.   It’s not to say that we shouldn’t pray for relief from pain, for protection for our families and from our enemies, even for success in personal aspirations or any of the many things of this life that we as humans want and need.   We all desire to be comfortable and enjoy our life in the manner that we feel suits us, but all of this must take a back seat to the will of God.   His will is the best thing for us, even if it doesn’t presently feel like it or if  we are unable to understand it.   Job said,  “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him…”   (Job 13: 15)   Likewise,  Paul said,  “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”   (2 Corinthians 12: 9)    And this same dogged determination we find firmly rooted in other servants of God who realized that their carnal comfort was not the priority of life therefore they did not let it interfere with their allegiance to God, even if it cost them their lives.

Of course, a prime example of this is Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, the young Hebrew boys who all refused to eat their Babylonian captor’s food and in return God nourished them to perfect health even though they were all subsequently sentenced to death for their loyalty to the One and Only True God.   Daniel was forced to face the terrifying prospect of being torn apart and eaten alive in a lion’s den because he would not stop praying to God.   The others were subjected to the intentional infliction of intense and excruciating agony by incineration because they would not bow down to a false idol. 

Nonetheless, they all accepted God’s will in their predicament, even if it meant their demise.   Their faith in God was not impacted whatsoever as they stood at the crossroads of what they wanted to happen and what God was allowing to happen.  Their confidence in the power and glory of the Ancient of Days, coupled with their blessed soul assurance of eventual release from the pains of their decaying humanity was sufficient for them to stand firm in their adversity like Moses and the children of Israel when they were backed up against the Red Sea and, by faith, confidently looked directly at Pharoah’s advancing army as Moses shouted out, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.”   (Exodus 14: 13)   The concerns of their carnality melted away with visions of immortality as they trusted in the grace of God Who manifests Himself powerfully in the midst of our distress.

All of these heroes of faith are used to demonstrate the absolute necessity for faithfully calling on God for everything we want but contently accepting His will for anything we get.   “In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”   (1 Thessalonians 5: 18)     And the greatest example we could ever cite is Jesus Himself when He was on the Mount of Olives with His disciples and dreading His rapidly approaching martyrdom.    And though He was fully divine, He was also fully human and experienced the extremely discomforting sense of doom as the apprehension of brutality and torture loomed dreadfully on the horizon.     

An old saying goes like this:  “The fear of suffering is sometimes worse than the suffering itself.”    But in Jesus’ case, He knew that the anticipation of His coming passion paled in comparison to what He would actually have to be subjected to for our sakes.   He took on the severest of punishments for every single sin committed by every single human for every single second this world has been in existence.    And being saddled with the inescapable human desire to avoid pain or to hesitate when being penalized for someone else’s transgressions knowing that you are innocent of the crime, Jesus asked His Father if there was any other way to accomplish His mission of salvation for humankind.  

But, glory to God, in the same anguished breath our Savior issued this illustrious, unforgettable and everlasting proclamation,  “…not My will, but Thine, be done.”   (Luke 22: 42)    Enshrined in the chronicles of eternity, these were breath-taking words of power and glory from the Son of the Living God Who placed His Heavenly Father’s desire above His own instinct of self-preservation.   A beautiful and bold declaration that should be a rallying cry for us all as we daily step across the threshold of personal preference to be content with whatever state God deems that we are to be in.  

The question is, “Can we really accept God’s will for our life by faith?”   The concept of obeying God’s will is nothing new to God’s people as it was His design for us to have a special closeness with Him from the very beginning.   Jesus Himself was well aware of this principle for eternal life even before His episode in the Garden of Gethsemane.    For example, while praying at the tomb of His dead friend Lazarus, Jesus said,  “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me.   And I knew that Thou hearest Me always…”   (John 11: 41-42)     

Now how did Jesus know without a doubt and have the utmost confidence that God heard Him and always hears Him?    As  John 8: 29  tells us, it was because he consistently submitted Himself and was always obedient to the will of God.   “And He that sent Me is with Me:  the Father hath not left Me alone;  for I do always those things that please Him.”   Jesus never failed to do whatever delighted His Father.   

Now listen and hear this good.   This episode shows us that before Jesus prayed, Jesus obeyed.   Prayer itself is an act of obedience because we’ve been instructed to do so, therefore Jesus conducted Himself in the manner that is consistent with how God’s Word breaks down our obligation to Him to its most basic principle which is,   “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:   Fear God, and keep His commandments:  for this is the whole duty of man.”   (Ecclesiastes 12: 13)    Now you may say,  “I thought love was the most basic principle,”  to which I enthusiastically respond,  “It is.”    But remember, Jesus Himself said,  “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.”   (John 14:15)    Therefore, if there is no obedience, there is no love.

You see, when we submit ourselves and get into God’s will it gains us access to a more intimate relationship with Him and that intimacy stimulates God to be more receptive to any request we may have.   “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing  according to His will,  He heareth us:   And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”   (1 John 5: 14-15)    In fact, even the requirements for inclusion in God’s family does not rest with money, education, intelligence, talent, influence or popularity.   It is our willingness and effort to accept and do God’s will.    As Jesus said,  “For whosoever shall do  the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother.”   (Mark 3: 35) 

But how can you be confident that you are doing God’s will if you may not even know what it is?    Let not your heart be troubled because God’s got you covered in that to.   “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities:  for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:  but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.   And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”   (Romans 8: 26-27)   

Now don’t get it twisted.  God always gets the glory for everything.   He gets the credit even for our desire to obey and serve Him.   “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure”   (Philippians 2: 13)     But we must be changed as God is  “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  (2 Peter 3: 9) 

And since we are incapable of changing ourselves to be acceptable to God, we have to be changed by God Himself in order to be anointed with the sweet-smelling fragrance of Christ emitting from our lives as we enter into the realm of spiritual pureness that is pleasing to Him.    As Paul said,  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.   And be not conformed to this world:  but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”   (Romans 12: 1-2)

So ask yourself, are you willing to be changed and to believe in God, doing His will by faith, no matter what?   Some people need a divine healing, some need a mind-blowing miracle or some other physical manifestation in order to believe.   Jesus’ disciple Thomas was the same way as he refused to believe Jesus had risen from the dead.   Can you imagine his astonishment when our Lord appeared in their midst 8 days later and told him,  “…Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed:   blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”   (John 20: 29)      

Now, if that’s what it takes to get us where we need to be, then amen.  But how much better would it be if we had the child-like humility and spiritual maturity to fully believe in whatever the Lord does and what He offers us, walking by faith and not by sight, so that we may say,  “My Lord and My God”  without the necessity of a miraculous sign or wonder.  “…For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:   But we preach Christ crucified…”   (1 Corinthians 1: 22-23)   And Christ risen with all power!     It is when we have this kind of faith that God, just like He did with Paul, is able to use you, and do some of His greatest work in you and through you, regardless of any pain or infirmity.   

God knows all about any situation you are going through and is in complete control of it whether its physical, emotional, financial, social or mental.   Rejoice that He is the Overseer Who makes us to become Overcomers.   We have to learn how to encourage ourselves like David did when his army intended to stone him after they returned from war and found their city burned and their families taken captive by the dreaded and despised Amalekites.   They were angry and crushed with grief and wanted to take their frustration out on David.   But David, who himself shared their distress, was also under incredibly intense pressure as the specter of death by his own countrymen loomed over his head, so he ran to the source of his comfort and strength, and  “encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”   (1 Samuel 30: 6)

Our ultimate reward is not a life of luxury and ease on this earth, but the knowledge that our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.   Therefore, you may walk this earth with a limp, but in heaven you will leap like a deer.  You may suffer with sickness now, but in heaven you will be in a perfect state of health.   You may have emotional or mental struggles or continually combat an addictive personality at this present time, but in heaven you will be completely free of these kinds of challenges.   You may groan with pain and discomfort now but you will soon rejoice and sing and praise and worship God in the beauty of holiness while glorifying Him in His holy presence.   As it is written, 

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”   (Romans 8: 18)

So don’t get too caught up in what’s going on in your life right now, how you want to live, what you want to do or what you think you will do but,   “…ye ought to say, If the Lord will,  we shall live, and do this, or that.”   (James 4: 15)    Accept what God has planned for your life and treasure the fact that you belong to Him.   Cherish your relationship with Him and be thankful that it is an honor and a privilege to serve a loving and gracious God Who is very interested in what you have to say and will unfailingly meet all of your needs.   Even if things don’t work out the way you want them to, He will never desert you.   And He also won’t destroy you with some unbearable situation.   “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:  but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;  but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”   (1 Corinthians 10: 13)    

God loves you and will use difficulty to mature you, to purify you, to draw you closer to Him. “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver;  I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”   (Isaiah 48: 10)     So when those tough times come, hang in there and trust God.   Jesus will see you through.     And after you’ve done all you can do to stand, stand therefore in the power of His might.   Stand on the promises of God.   Stand in the knowledge of everlasting joy in our heavenly home as we pray, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.”   (Luke 23: 43)

But while we are still here, strive to be found in Him, not having your own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that you may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.   Because knowing Him in this manner is the greatest thing that could ever happen to you.

May God strengthen and comfort you all, and give you peace in Jesus’ name as we all humbly and sincerely say to our Heavenly Father,  “Not my will, but Thine.”