Trusting God’s Will?

At least once, the mere mention of hoping that God’s will is done has brought a negative response from the Christians I was talking with. This was a surprise, yet I’ve also been afraid of what might happen. Today’s reading says this:

I feel more deeply than I can express the grievous wrong that is done to our heavenly Father by the dread His own children have of His blessed will. If those who profess to know and trust Him dread His will, we cannot wonder that the world looks on the will of God as something to be feared and resisted more than anything else, and we need not question why they are driven away from Him. If God’s own children regard Him as a tyrant, what can His enemies be expected to think?

The difficulty lies in not really trusting that He wants our good. Satan told that lie to Eve in the garden and it worked. Falling for it brought sin into the world and it still is causing sin. Even God’s children, that lie motivates us to take matters into our own hands and not trust the Lord. Doing our own thing is the essence of sin:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Again, it began with a lie. God told Eve she could eat anything but not from the tree in the middle of the garden. Here is the subtle suggestion that enticed her to think it would be a good idea:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1–5)

He puts ideas like this into my head: “If you do what you determine is right or good or okay, even if God says otherwise, then you will benefit from it. The will of God is not going to do you any good.”

For most of us, failures from making decisions by trusting our own judgment ought to teach us that we don’t know what is best, but after years of being my own boss most of the time, it seems a hard way to learn. Here is a better one:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2)

Obedience and mind-renewal. Reading the Word of God feeds the new nature, building it up so I can and want to do the will of God, and obedience to what He shows me also reveals that His will is good, totally acceptable and perfect. Instead of being afraid of God and suspicious of His motives, trust is increased and my way becomes not only less important, but I start seeing it as a “grievous wrong” to God. How dare I think I know better than He does! Instead, this becomes a reality:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5–8)

PRAY: Jesus, even in ordinary life, You keep surprising me with incredible goodness, especially whenever I stop leaning on my ‘good’ ideas. Daily and unexpected answers to prayer. Unusual energy when I wait on You. Words to say when my mind goes blank. The list is long. Your will is not only good, but that goodness cannot be exhausted, yet it is always unpredictable. For all of this and all that You are, I praise You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

A Vision of the Future

 

READ Ezekiel 9–12

Rarely does anyone know the future. Soothsayers and fortune tellers claim to, but the Bible says only those whose prophecies are always true all the time are true prophets. The rest are false and saying only what they believe or want their listeners to believe.

God’s prophets are true. What they say happens or will happen. Further, much of what they say is a shock and a horror to their own ears, never mind to others. Ezekiel heard and saw this from God:

Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand. And behold, six men came . . . each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar. Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist . . . . “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” And to the others he said . . . “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. Then he said to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. (Ezekiel 9:1–7)

No wonder that he asked, “Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?” The vision was so awful that the prophet thought everyone would die.

All dying was not God’s plan. After more visions of future judgment, He told Ezekiel that He would judge those who “have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you” that they “would know that I am the Lord.”  

God planned a remnant. He said, “Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.” And then added, “I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations; I will bring their deeds upon their own heads.” (11:11–21)

His plan was to scatter those who are against Him, but “I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the Lord.” Yet at that time the people would “eat their bread with anxiety, and drink water in dismay. In this way her land will be stripped of all it contains, on account of the violence of all those who dwell in it. And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

As for those who thought this was a future thing so they were safe, He said, “The days are near, and the fulfillment of every vision. For there shall be no more any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the Lord; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it . . . None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed.” (12:18–28)

The life of a true prophet might seem exciting. Yet most of this is horrifying. I’d not want to know it. However, the prophets also bring good news. God would selvedge a remnant and change lives. This redemption became the greatest good news of all — in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ whose sacrifice on our behalf saves believers from sin and makes us His people. His promise became a reality — giving us His life now so we can spend forever with Him without concern for what the future holds.

 

Thinking God’s thoughts?

 

In a sermon about temptation, our pastor relayed the familiar saying: “Birds will fly over your heads; just don’t let them build a nest in your hair.” In other words, evil or sinful THOUGHTS may come, but don’t dwell on them.

In the process of being transformed by God, I know that how I think is included. It might even be more important than what I say and do because Jesus says in Matthew 15:19–20. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person . . . .”

Paul also included thought life in his NT teaching about putting off the old and putting on the new. He says in Philippians 4:8. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” I’m to reject the junk.

God also knows my thoughts: “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:1–4)

It seems obvious that I’m to talk, act and even think like the Lord yet what the Bible says about God’s thoughts make this a challenge!

The OT word for thoughts can describe plans as well. Many verses apply to people. A few are about God. The psalmists stress the depth and wonder of His thoughts:

Psalm 40:5. “You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.”

Psalm 92:5. “How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!”

Psalm 139:17. “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!”

The prophets describe how God’s thoughts are not like ours, often meaning that what He is doing seems contrary to what we expect.

Isaiah 55:7–9. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares 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.”

Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 51:29. “The land trembles and writhes in pain, for the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.”

Micah 4:11–12. “Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, “Let her (the daughter of Zion) be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.” But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.”

The NT brings the greatest surprise of all.

1 Corinthians 2:14–16. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”

Wow! The gift of God’s Son includes His incredible mind that we might think like God thinks! This is totally awesome. Earlier, 1 Corinthians 2:11–14 says:

“For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. The way to think God’s thoughts is to be occupied with Him, reading what He says, listening to His Spirit, shunning outside thoughts and human wisdom . . . “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God . . . . The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” The idea that God knows our thoughts is one thing, but that God lets us into His mind is incredible — and good reason to keep my focus on Him.