A quote from yesterday sticks with me today. When Jesus told His disciples to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” He revealed a most remarkable thing: His will done here gives us heaven on earth. It gave me a deeper longing to experience the will of God!
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)When Jesus told His disciples that He had food to eat that they did not know about, they were thinking physical food, but Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work." (John 4:34)
Physical food is not only necessary for life but also enjoyable to eat and makes me feel satisfied. Oh, I can overdo it, eat too much, or eat the wrong things, or consume something that makes me feel ill, but generally food is a delightful part of life. (I’m thinking the chicken wings at the Mossleigh restaurant and the Lobster Bisque we had last Thursday, and countless recipes discovered and created in my own kitchen.)
And Jesus said that His food was to do God’s will! How incredible a description for something that a lot of people think of as sacrifice and a duty, even a giving up of enjoyment. This is the difference between “I must” and “I’d love to” — a delight in doing whatever my beloved Lord asks of me, not because of the perks of it, but because it is the heart of God expressed through me, the Hand in this glove, the reason I’m here.
Yesterday was stressful and lovely both. Stressed because my devotions were interrupted at least six times. The phone rang often. Someone dropped in. I needed a file from a government website and it locked me out several times. After three hours of trying, making calls, and waiting, the person online could not help, transferred me to another person, and I went through the process of proving my identity at least three times after their site kept shutting me out — three times in the same three ways for the same person on the other line! It was no fun at all.
But in the middle of the day, there was a lovely prayer time with two friends. Also, God gave me answers to moving issues that seemed to have no answers. An appointment that would add more stress was postponed, and my hubby did the supper dishes. This made the frustrations feel less stressful, but I still wondered what is the will of God in them? One thing comes to mind:
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)I didn’t meet the stressful stuff with joy and steadfastness. I could excuse this with “I didn’t get enough sleep” or some other reasoning, but that isn’t the honest answer. My failure was more about wanting the day to be easy and my will to be done. God essentially let me know that His will includes interruptions (Jesus had lots of them) and other negatives — such as being misunderstood, no one listening, the frustration of betrayal, and the weight of bearing the sins of the world, including mine. Yet it was His “food” to do the will of God, and He did it so the “world may know that He loves the Father.” (John 14:31)
PRAY: Jesus, You show me that putting up with the trials of life is not just about me learning steadfast patience. Doing Your will could have a far-reaching effect on those around me, so they can see Your love in action, even have a taste of heaven. Forgive me for my impatience of yesterday and grant me the ability to at least be patient with the stresses of life, or better yet, downright joyful — knowing that You can use this for Your glory.
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