Knowing and accepting God’s Will…

As a new Christian (more than 50 years ago) a major truth I learned was this:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

The delight of that discovery stuck. God uses everything to conform me to the image of Jesus. My part? Pay attention. As today’s devotional says, so many Christians have a problem seeing God in everything. They say, “I can easily submit to things that come from God, but I cannot submit to people…” or the weather or whatever, making a life of faith only a theory. Almost everything has a human element of somebody’s failure, ignorance, carelessness, or sin. God does not author sinful things. So often, the humans involved are blamed, resented, retaliated against, and resisted. Yet I understand those verses to say that God uses whatever happens to me to change or provoke a godly, Christ-like response. They could harm but He does not intend harm.

My mother often said, “We must need it or we would not be getting it.” She accepted that all things had a purpose. If I need to be kind to others, God allows situations where that can happen. If I need to better keep confidences, people tell me their secrets. It isn’t always simple to discern what good He wants for me in every situation, but the gist is that Jesus lives in me and God uses the happenings of life to bring Him out where others can see what He is like.

The reality is that if I am trusting my life to God, then others are not being allowed to mess with me and have a prevailing influence in my thinking and actions. When I look for God's hand in what they do to me, then there is a choice: a response from my old nature — or a response from the One who lives in me and is changing my life to be like His.

Last night someone shared how she erred and God rebuked her, but it felt good. I responded with, “God is the only one who can kick our backside and hug us at the same time.” Everyone laughed because we have all had that lovely experience. His discipline is in love, in wanting the best for us, and we know it and are glad for it.

With that attitude, I can say: The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6) Yet it works only if I see God in everything and receive everything directly from His hands, with no intervention by second causes. This makes possible that joyful estate of entire abandonment and perfect trust.

PRAY: Lord, last night everything ached and I felt like staying home from our regular Monday Bible study/prayer group meeting. I went, almost against my will, and soon realized being there was Your will. My aches quickly vanished and joy filled my heart. This was another of the enemy’s devices, designed to stop me from obeying You and using all sorts of things to do it. Sometimes emotions, sometimes physical aches and pains, sometimes the actions and attitudes of other people, or my own, anything negative. Spiritual wars are seldom obvious and none of them are won by looking at the clashing swords or listening to the sounds of ammunition. They are only won by recognizing that You have a purpose in the events, I need to accept it and look for what You want. But if Your will is not involved, then I can ask You to remove the problem, or distraction, or whatever is turning me away from You. Thanks for the immediate sense of peace and well-being when I accept Your will, no matter what.

A Sure Thing

 

Very few people thrive in constant insecurity. I like to be certain about things, like the sun will come up tomorrow and there is going to be some goodness in the days ahead. I trust that the lights will go on when I hit the switch, or water will flow when I pump the handle. Faith fits easily with many of my expectations.

However, walking by faith is sometimes a challenge when the things I see with my eyes seem contrary to what God has told me. These days of pandemics, fires, floods, and much saber-rattling among the nations, even the most devout Christians struggle at times about the sovereignty of God, or that He cares about the messes that people get themselves into, or that He will eventually turn it all around.

However, the Bible defines faith in Hebrews 11:1 as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This verse has a strong sense of certainty apart from what is before our eyes. That is, faith is not being blind to life but trusting in God — whom we cannot see — to be involved in our world, not because we can always see what He is doing but because He reveals to us that He is reliable. That is, He makes promises and keeps them.

A few OT Hebrew words are sometimes translated as certain or SURE. They mean “to be reliable, conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief.” This is true of other things but certainly true of God and His Word. For instance, when Joseph interpreted the dream of Pharaoh, he said, “And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.”

“Sure” is translated from several Hebrew words that mean “right” or “ready” or “certain,” even “rests” in the sense that whatever it refers to is firmly established or resting. All these words describe the nature and character of God.

Psalm 93:1–2. “The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.”

Psalm 19:7. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”

God’s commandments are sure and reliable, as are His promises and prophecies.

Isaiah 25:1. “O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”

Hosea 6:3. “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Micah 4:1–2. “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

The certainty of who God is and what He is like is describe in the NT too. Many times Jesus emphasized it by saying, “Surely, surely . . .” The same Greek word is also used concerning the faith of His followers to show they are convinced or certain of the truthfulness or validity of something. This certainty is based on the promises of God, the reliability of what He says He will do. For example:

Philippians 1:6. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Faith can be imitated but not very well. That word is “presumption” referring to the idea that God will do what I think He will or ought to do, but really is more about what I want than about knowing His will. Another term for an error like presumption is taking God for granted. I am certain of His steadfast love for me, but cannot assume that I can do whatever I please and He will look the other way; His love is forgiving but it is not indulging. Putting my eyes on Jesus and being in the Bible daily helps me, yet I have days where I wonder if anything is sure and certain. Lord, I believe; help my uncertainties!