. . . His good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)
On Wednesday, we saw that Christ’s victory at Calvary came through the Garden of Gethsemane. We must all learn to echo the cry of our Lord: “Yet not my will, but yours be done.”” But to reach the deepest depth of devotion that our Lord experienced, we must go beyond “Your will be done” to “Your will be loved!” Jesus loved the will of His Father in heaven, and this must be the confession of our lives as well.
Now, it’s certainly a very good start to resign ourselves to submitting to the will of our God, but we must not be satisfied at this level of living. Because we know that our God is good and that He is working all things together for our good, we must rise above simply receiving the will of our Father in heaven and advance to absolutely loving it as He does His work in our lives. Why? Because, like Paul, we know that the will of our God is graciously good, powerfully pleasing, and providentially perfect.
It was the devil who made the first attack on the will of God back in the Garden of Eden with the words, “Did God really say . . .?” (Genesis 3:1). Adam and Eve had absolutely no reason to question the goodness of their God and His will for their lives. But Satan’s evil insinuations caused them to wonder if there might be something better than the will of God for their lives—namely their own will. Adam and Eve decided that they had a better plan for their lives than God did, and they chose to turn away from Him. The results were ruinous.
It’s the same for each one of us when we begin to wonder, “Did God really say . . .?” We must never allow ourselves to give ear to the devil, but rather we are to echo the psalmist, who exulted, “O how I love your law!” (Psalm 119:97).
So, Christian, how do you see God’s will in your life right now? Do you see it as good? Do you see it as pleasing? Do you see it as perfect? Regardless of whether God’s will brings you pleasure or pain, it is designed to conform you to the likeness of Christ and to bless you beyond all human comprehension. God knows exactly what you need and when you need it, and He will deliver it to you in the way that He determined is best from eternity past.
The committed Christian can say, “Your will be done,” regardless of what God’s will brings. But it is only the deepest depth of devotion that can say, “Your will be loved!” We are not only to welcome with open arms whatever our Lord sends our way, but we are to love it, knowing it is bringing us to the end of ourselves—and that is an end that cannot come soon enough!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 