My mother used to say: "I can't never did do anything." She is right when we take a pouty "I can't" attitude toward everything we try. It isn't that I can't do what God would have me do. Scripture says: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We have an assurance, that if it is within His will, He will back us up. I have to remind myself to not back away from things that seem too awesome to try. I must just be aware that I am not the one making the awesomeness happen.
On the surface this seems to be elementary. But reason with me for a moment. We plunge into things, just knowing God is in it, and blammo... things start going all wrong, or are challenging beyond our wildest dreams, or nothing happens. Or someone slams us. The first thing we think of is: "I must be out of God's will." If you haven't done it, your pastor has certainly accused someone of doing it from the pulpit of your church. You know it's true. Everyone assumes that if things aren't going as planned, God wasn't in it in the first place. No human, including each of our pastors, is immune from taking this track. It just isn't so though, that we are out of His will if things aren’t going well. We cannot be God, knowing how to do things within His perfect will, perfectly. And adversely, we cannot do all things... in spite of the verse. The verse does not mean God expects us to do and do and do and do, until we are useless, and wonder why didn't He give me strength when He promised. If all things meant all things as in absolutely anything, it would mean we could murder in Jesus’ name and God would provide the strength. That is ludicrous and extreme. Instead it means, anything that would be within God's "good graces," (to use and old, old term). All the things he prepared for our lives.
 |
| Flowers grow according to his Will |
It was for this reason that God gave "the Law" in the first place. For instance, His law says that we should rest about every 7 days. It is how he created us to perform best. We should have days of celebration, and reflection, holidays, and Holy Days. It is how he made our lives to best be lived. But we wonder when we have worked 21 days straight why God doesn't give us the strength to not have a heart attack... He gave us guidelines. And yes, there are times when we cannot, in fact must not, be so tied to a Law that it strangles us. Soldiers have to keep fighting, fireman have to keep fighting, mothers with newborns have to keep fighting...and yes it is appropriate to say, "God, I believe I need rest. But if I am going to get it, you are going to have to give it." When we pray, Jesus wanted us to say, "God, the world demands that I do things I don't think I can do right now. I am asking, will you intervene, so that the world can get back to within your boundaries? But if it is your will that I carry on this way, give me strength." So then, if you don’t have strength, He wants you to rest! Ask for help!
There came a time that, for Jesus, it meant dying on a Cross. And even He needed the strength that only the Father could give.
My sweet Mom was intense sometimes. Living in her perfect will was impossible, too. But unlike God, she was as likely as not to totally reject you, and throw you out of her house for not doing things her way. I am glad that my Mom is not my example of serving God. But most people see God being more like my Mom, than like God. "I can't please him, so I guess I will just quit trying." Ever put God and a parent in the same category, thinking God must be like your parent. I guess it comes from calling him our Heavenly Father. But even that picture type comparison was meant to be of a loving father. Jesus went out of his way, to remind us over and over, that he was acting on the will of his Father. In almost the same breath, he would beg his followers to not do like the Pharisees and Sadducees who were sure in themselves that they were the ones in God's will, and doing it perfectly, because they were following the Law to the letter. They even added to it to make it tougher than it already was. Jesus wanted people to see, that the Law is not God's perfect will. It was to show us we cannot be who God wants us to be trying to fulfill laws. God knows we can't be perfect in doing what the law says. If we are chasing after doing God's perfect law, thinking that God's will is being done, then we might as well be chasing after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If it were possible, Jesus would not have had to die.
God knows us. He wants us to be who He created us to be. For me, these days, being in His will is being who he created me to be. We should think of him as a loving father, who, when he knows we have done something he didn’t want us to do, continues to love us, and helps us to learn how to do it right the next time.
Being in God's will is finding that spot where we feel securely in his love, so much so, that we are willing to let God bring anything into our world knowing that He is there. Not just with us, but in us, to go through it. And since there is nothing God doesn't know about how the universe works, He is able to do whatever it takes.... In His Will, not In His Law.
Lord, I want to live according to what's best for me. But since I don't always see the way so clearly, I just want to be in a place where you love me and guide me as my Heavenly Father. Lord, no matter what others say, If I pray believing: "Thy Will be Done", I can rest in going where you lead me. Remind me to walk in your will not in your law. AMEN
Always, C
No comments:
Post a Comment