God's Will: Our Active Faith

…your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

We tend to think of God’s will as His desire for us and the world, which is in some ways clear and in other ways the mystery of our lifetime. By the very definition of the word, the will of God is also an attribute that involves powerful action. We are not so quick to be mindful of the depth and breadth of God’s active presence in our daily lives.

Throughout Scripture, God offers a progressive revelatory view of His will (desire) for those He has chosen. John wrote (John 1:12-13) and Jesus taught (John 6:35-40) that all who believe in and honor God through the redeeming power of His Son, Jesus, are born (adopted) into God’s Kingdom—the fourth (spiritual) dimension of creation. The vast majority of Jesus’ teaching was instruction through both word and example on how to recognize and enter into this kingdom. The most reliable way to do this is to conduct ourselves as Jesus did. The perfection Jesus demands of us (Matthew 5:48) does not require us to be flawless, but rather mature—reflecting the same love and grace towards others that God shows us.

We’ll be striving to do this without prejudice for our entire lives. But this becomes easier as we keep our eyes on our Great Shepherd and Redeemer, Jesus, who was sent to call us together and lead us down the straight and narrow path into and through this kingdom to eternal life. Jesus clearly assures us that we have actually crossed over from death to life. Our God-given spirit will live on in God’s Kingdom forever. God’s greatest desire for us could not be clearer.

God’s will for the church appears to be less clear. If it were clear, there would only be one perfectly unified church on earth. And God’s will for each of us as adopted sons and daughters (individuals) in His kingdom is equally difficult to pinpoint. Most of us spend our entire lifetime trying to decipher how we are personally called to serve God in this world. Paul summed this quest up best when he concluded, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as if I have been fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) We won’t fully comprehend God’s will for us as individuals until we see Him face to face.

Now focus your thinking beyond the traditional church doctrine box, to ponder God’s will as a verb (action word)! Astronomers have concluded that everything in outer space appears to be expanding outward from a single point—literally bursting outward at blazing speed, continuing to become what God originally willed it to be. Our view of outer space is profoundly ancient and yet known to be expanding out into the future. God not only willed all that we know into existence, but sustains it. Realize that we exist in, through, and by God’s will, which is the very foundation and framework of all creation. As John wrote, “all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:3) We exist because God continues to will it to be so, participating daily in His unfolding cosmic framework.

Creation, as we know it, appears to be governed by what we call the Laws of Nature, but God alone can and has throughout time superseded these rules. Scripture is full of accounts of God’s will overcoming these laws that we humans cannot break. Through God’s will: men survive flames (Daniel 3:8–30); the normal path of the sun and moon is interrupted (Joshua 10:12–13); an axe head floats up out of the water to glorify God’s power (2 Kings 6:1-7); and God’s Son was unnaturally conceived and born in human form—sent to show us the will of God and the way to overcome earthly death (the Gospels). As Jesus taught, “…with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

When we consider all of the aspects of God’s will, it makes perfect sense that God simply identified Himself to Moses as, “I AM WHO I AM… Say this to the people of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14) God alone is the author and controller of all that is or ever shall be. His will in every way confirms His power, mercy, love, and goodness.

It’s easy to fall into the pattern of reciting the Lord’s Prayer as if it is a simple mantra, but Jesus did not waste a single word in this perfect prayer He offered to us. We can and should experience an overwhelming sense of majesty and duty when we say, “…your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Father, We are in awe of Your vast, expanding creation, sustained entirely by the power of Your active will. Forgive us for the times we reduce Your presence to a lifeless doctrine or a thoughtless routine. Mature us by Your grace so that we might reflect Your love to the world around us without prejudice. Align our hearts with Your Spirit, step by step, so that our lives may become active instruments for the advancement of the Gospel. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done in our daily lives, entirely for Your glory. Amen.

mgb