Where there's a Will

You have probably heard the familiar saying, “Where there's a will, there's a way.” In the can-do American context, that saying usually means that if you really are committed to something, you can make it happen. I definitely have adhered to that mantra much of my life. Yet I have recently had some new observations regarding our will and God’s will that challenged my thinking.We are grateful for God’s will when it means something is being provided. God’s will seems acceptable when we are the recipient of a spouse, a new job, a new baby, or a promotion. When things aren’t making sense to us, however, we can question how something unfair or tragic can be God’s will. So, how do we navigate the familiar, “I can make it happen” in contrast to “God’s way is best”?In my Priority Time this week, I had arrived at the Lord’s Prayer. This is so familiar that I was a little indifferent as I approached the passage. “Lord, can You show me something new and fresh?” were the words coming to my mind. Then as I read, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” in Matthew 6:10, a few truths collided. I started thinking how God will restore this planet to the original sinless place that existed before the fall of man. When Jesus returns, He will bring a new earth.That’s when it dawned on me… the two times that we see God’s will implemented without man’s will interfering are two perfect experiences. Before Adam and Eve sinned, the earth was a perfect place. When Jesus returns, He promises in Rev 21:4 that He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain! Can we even imagine a day without pain?God gave us a will of our own so that we had the privilege to choose to love Him. What a gift! But as a believer, we can see that it is when God’s will is untainted and uninterrupted that all is well. Why would we for a minute want to spend our time on this planet thinking that our will is better, when clearly God has a plan that is for our good?Are you looking at a circumstance right now and trying to resolve it in your own strength? Are you trying to force a relationship to work? Are you certain your child needs to be accepted at that school? Where are you trying to use your will to make something happen? I urge you to remember that, even while we are here on a fallen earth awaiting His return, God still has a will for us. God wants to protect us here and now from the pain of a fallen world; but we must embrace His will to experience that protection. Where there is a will, there may be a way… but be careful you are not forcing something less than God’s best. We must desire His will enough that we seek out His will and release our demand for our own.