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Have you ever prayed to know the will of God for your life?If you have a sincere desire to do His will but you are uncertain about it,
you need to pray for His will to be made manifest. I have often prayed for a discernment of God's will, and I confess to you that it takes
a great deal of prayer for me to get through this sinful world. If you pray for God's will to be made known, then you will possess a sense
of direction in the various situations you face.
Every child of God should be concerned with the will of God. When Jesus taught us to pray, He said, "After this manner therefore pray
ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Mt.
6:9-10). I believe that such an attitude of prayer shows a desire that God do His will in the world and in our lives but also that we do
God's will by purpose of heart and voluntary actions. Paul taught the Ephesians to serve Jesus by doing God's will from the heart (Eph.
6:6). If we are to do His will from the heart, it is essential that we have an understanding of it. Those who seek such knowledge should
pray as did David. Long ago he sought divine guidance by saying, "Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: Thy Spirit is good;
lead me into the land of uprightness" (Ps. 143:10).
One means of knowing God's will is by the leadership of the Spirit of God. Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit is to be regarded as our
guide as we pass through the uncertain scenes of life. He said, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come" John 16:13).
The Holy Spirit is quite capable of expressing God's will to us since He abides within every born-again person. Sometimes He does this
by stirring our souls with a condemnation for sins, while at other times He gently leads us to perform some good work. So when we
pray for God to make known His will, one way by which He does so is by the Holy Spirit.
Another way by which the will of God is made known to us is the Bible, which contains the written expression of the will of God. Every
commandment contained therein is spelling out for us what we should or should not do. Many things about God's will can be discovered
simply by reading the Bible. Paul said, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Therefore, let us search and study the Bible so that we may clearly discern God's will John 5:39 and 2 Tim. 2:15).
At this point in our study, let us recognize that there are two aspects of God's will which need to be considered: His determinate will and
His suffering will, which is sometimes referred to as the permissive will of God. Let us now look more deeply into both facets of divine
will.
First, God's determinate will includes all that He has decreed or determined to do. Peter and John in speaking to the other disciples
quoted from the ancient writings of David concerning the determinate will of God. They said, "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus,
whom thou hast annointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For
to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done" (Acts 4:27-28).While it is evident that God determined to give
His Son to die for sins, He did not determine the cruelty of men's hands nor the hatred of their hearts, though He knew of their existence
for He can see the end from the beginning (Is. 46:10). Someone may kindle a fire and another may throw a piece of wood into the flames,
knowing it will be consumed. Even so, Satan kindled the fires of hatred and murder, but God cast His Son in the midst of violent men
knowing that He would die and thus atone for the sins of His people. God's determinate will delivered Jesus into the hands of sinful men,
and by His death on the cross He paid the sin debt for all the elect. Jesus came to this earth to do that which was decreed by the will
of His Father; therefore He said, "...Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, 0 God" (Heb. 10:7). He knew
that it was decreed for Him to die (Mt. 26:38~39).Paul also said that "...we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." (Eph. 1:11). In His determined will He designed that
none of His children can ever be lost. We may fall from grace (Gal. 5:4) which is to fall away from the beliefs and teachings of it, but
we cannot fall out of the state of grace. For instance, a small child may fall out of a chair, but he remains in the room. The room
represents grace, and all who are secured in it remain that way forever. Jesus said, "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that
of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39). In the morning of the
resurrection when Jesus returns by the determinate will of God, all the elect will be raised to life and when changed will be caught up
with Jesus to live together in glory, without the loss of even one. God's will has determined it; and God, who has all power and cannot fail,
will perform that which He determined beforehand. Let us therefore rejoice in His determinate will.
Second, let us examine God's suffering will. We generally think of suffering as bearing pain or affliction. It does have that meaning in
Scripture, but it also means permitting or allowing. "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of
such is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 19:14). This aspect of the will of God embraces those actions which God has not decreed or
determined, but which He allows to come to pass. He has all power and could prevent them, but for some reason unknown to us He
chooses not to do so. Such was the case with Job, who suffered (bore affliction) at the hands of Satan because God suffered (allowed)Satan
to try him. In the safe protection of God, Satan could not harm Job (Job 1:10) until God allowed him to put Job to the test. "And the
Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from
the presence of the Lord" (Job 1:12). Similarly, God allows us to be tempted and tried by Satan today. Paul said, "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 of escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (l Cor. 10:13). Remember that in God's "suffering
will," He does not cause the problem; but neither does He prevent it. He merely allows it to take place.
Sometimes in God's "suffering will" He permits us to be touched by tragedy. He may allow us to be hurt and mistreated. He also allows
sin to run rampant in the land and even allows us to ignore or disobey His expressed will. I do not profess to speak for God and explain the
reasons that He does so; I only know that He permits things to happen or they could not occur. Since He had a design and purpose in
those things which He determined, surely He also has a reason for allowing all things which happen. If we trust God we can and will
be reconciled to His suffering or permissive will.
Let me now briefly summarize by encouraging you to be reconciled to His suffering will, rejoice in His determinate will, and be obedient
to His expressed will as revealed in the Bible and by His Holy Spirit. I am confident that the more closely we live to God, the more clearly
we will perceive His will. Seek prayerfully to know His will for your life, and when you know it, do it for His glory.
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