Your Will Be Done

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

                        Matthew 6.10 

What to Do?

This business of God’s will is challenging. Driven to please Him, we strive to do whatever He asks. But are we ever 100% sure what that is? Knowing God’s will requires knowing His mind. That’s not feasible. Over and over, His Word insists we can’t penetrate His thoughts. A personal favorite is Romans 11.33: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” If we don’t know all of how and what God thinks, we can’t fully ascertain His will. Not knowing the whole of His plan, how can we effectively follow it? What to do? What to do?

Purposefully Vague

We don’t get much help from Scripture. It seems purposefully vague about God’s will. Most often, it’s invoked vis-à-vis something else—submission or faith, e.g.—or explained with hazy clues that provide little clarity. When Ephesians 1.9 says God “made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure,” we hold our breath. Finally, an answer! No such luck. It reverts to the big picture: God’s will is “to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” That’s His general plan. But what’s His specific plan for each of us?

Perhaps it’s better to ponder why there’s no airtight solution. Here’s a strong candidate: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2.13) Might God tailor His will for each of us with such precise purpose a one-size-fits-all explanation would be impractical, misleading? That appears to be the case, yet it still puts no end to our quandary.

Tense Issues

Though Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6.38), He wasn’t always clear about God’s plan either. In Gethsemane, He sought confirmation of God’s intentions. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22.42) This directly echoes what He taught us to pray: “Your will be done.”

Listen closely. “Your will be done”—not, “I’ll do your will.” Worries about God’s plan boil down to tense issues. Our role is passive (grammatically); His is active. An apt comparison casts Him as the Master Chef and us as wait staff. He writes the menu, combines the ingredients, and says when everything’s ready. If He needs help, He shows us what to do. Otherwise, hovering around, asking, “Should I do this? Should I do that?” gets in His way. God performs His will. We let it be done. That’s how it works in Heaven; it’s no different here. When our anxiety and curiosity interfere with what He’s doing, it’s time we got out of His kitchen.

Like too many chefs in the kitchen, we complicate God's will when we get overly anxious about what we should do, rather letting it be done.

(Tomorrow: Our Daily Bread)

Postscript: Shower the People

I hoped to start this with a Scriptural wallop leading to how Christ would have us respond to the story I’m about to introduce. Yet while there was no shortage of verses I could use, my mind kept returning to James Taylor’s “Shower the People."

Shower the people you love with love/Show them way that you feel/Things will be much better if you only will.

Fran, of FranIAm, left a comment yesterday regarding Father Geoff Farrow, a California priest who courageously defied his Bishop's instruction to preach against Proposition 8, California's initiative to ban same-sex marriages. He has launched a blog to publicly document intensely personal moments in his battle with religiously sanctioned homophobia. It's remarkable in many ways, most of all for its transparency and sincere desire that others learn to draw inspiration from his experience.

I resist saying any more to give you the privilege of discovering his heroism and compassion for yourself. He epitomizes every meaning in Taylor’s song. But I can’t resist pointing out our opportunity to shower him with love. He needs to be surrounded with love, prayer, and solidarity right now. Please invest time and effort to go to him. Offer any comments of support you may have. Invite anyone you know who's willing and able to do the same.

As a rule, I add a postscript to each Sunday’s devotion about seeing the church in a new light. Today is different. Today’s PS is about being the church. 

Here's his link:

http://fathergeofffarrow.blogspot.com/