(*) God's Will... What is it?

GOAL OF THIS STUDY: I often hear people quoting “In God’s Will”…  What does that mean?  What does the Bible say?

METHOD: Word search on ‘will of God’ and ‘God’s will’ in the Bible.

OBSERVATIONS:  Paraphrase scripture

1. Referring to a trust in God’s plan with future events as if God has total control
2. The Spirit of God knows God’s will and the Children of God knows and does God’s will
3. It is God’s will to bring us to repentance without regret through sorrow, which leads us to salvation
4. Will of God is done from the heart and refuses to live for evil human desires
5. It is the will of God to be sanctified and abstain from sexual immorality
6. God’s will is: Be joyful always.  Pray continually.  Give thanks in all circumstances.
7. Will of God is to persevere and do right even if we suffer for doing good
8. It’s the will of God for church leaders to sacrificially, voluntarily and tenderly showing their flock the way.

SUMMARY: Often we say “if God wills” or “Insha’Allah” as if somehow we ‘let go’ of the unknown and our own ‘control-issues’ to God as if we are saying ‘I am not responsible for whatever happens next’ or ‘whatever happens, happens.’  The genuine hearts may refer to God’s will as a process of relinquishing our controls over to God, with a total acceptance of allowing God to guide us.  In this sense, we recognize that God has total control of our body, spirit, and mind, which is really a perfection of the greatest commandment to “Love God with all our soul, mind, heart, and strength.”  However, I suspect that most of us say ‘In God’s Will’ flippantly.  Have we recognized and accepted that doing ‘God’s Will’ is actually as specific as the list given above?  Let us take this more seriously and actually do what we say!

On the other extreme, we can say ‘In God’s Will’ almost fatalistically with a sense that “I can’t do anything about my future, God has it all numbered and everything I do has already been dictated.”  This view absolutely lifts up God’s sovereignty, which I think is awesome, but it does not take into account that our all loving God is a God of relationships.  He has created us, not as robots or chess-pieces that have already had everything mapped out.  We just merely live as a programmed-shell that carry out whatever God has in mind, like a robot would.  No!  God is mysterious.  He doesn’t need us to exist.  He is perfect and doesn’t need anything else to satisfy Him.  However, the truth is that He did create us human beings, full of emotions, and full of capabilities to do both good and evil … and to disobey Him.  It is almost like He created us for no other purpose other than letting us develop freely as we will.  As the Bible points out to us, His will for us is to seek Him first and be fearlessly generous and loving to our neighbors.

God wants us to tag along on this journey with Him and witness firsthand who He is and how He works.  God is also all about relationships.  He communicates with us and allows us to bargain with Him.  We should be transparent and make all of our needs and requests to God, and to offer Him our very best.  We should also confess all of our failures and ask God for strength.  He has promised to answer ALL of our prayers.  Amen.

ALL REFERENCES TO ‘WILL OF GOD’ OR ‘GOD’S WILL’ IN THE BIBLE

·        Exodus 18:15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.

·        Micah 6:8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

• Mark 3:35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
• John 7:17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
• Acts 18:21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.
• Acts 20:27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
• Romans 1:10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.
• Romans 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
• Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
• Romans 15:32 so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company.
• 1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
• 2 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:
• 2 Corinthians 7:9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
• 2 Corinthians 7:10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
• 2 Corinthians 8:5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
• Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
• Ephesians 6:6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
• Ephesians 5:17 Don’t be foolish, understand what the Lord’s will is.
• Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
• Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ¹⁶Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
• 2 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
• Hebrews 10:36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
• 1 Peter 2:15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
• 1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
• 1 Peter 4:2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
• 1 Peter 4:6 For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
• 1 Peter 4:19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.
• 1 Peter 5:2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
• 1 John 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.