The Will of God

Recently I was asked the question, "Do you think God changes His plans for us?" A friend said they remember a couple of years ago being somewhere and "hearing" God tell them one thing, but what was said is not what is now taking place.

The idea of God's will has been something that my thinking has shifted on. At one point in my life I thought God had one specific plan in mind for everyone's life. One option at each crossroad and if you went the wrong way you messed everything up. Looking back at that line of thinking I think it really limits God in two ways. One, it limits his power of redemption. If there is one option and once we've missed that we've messed up our entire future, what does that say about God's power to redeem and bring everything back to the way it was? If God can't restore one life, how can He restore the entire universe?

Second, if there is only one option for our lives, then I think that severely limits the creativity of God. Think about it, the God who thought up the universe and everything in it, is limited to one path for your life, it seems kind of boring. I think with God a lot of it is about the destination. There are many roads that lead there, it's just a question of which one we take.

I am NOT saying that there are many roads to Heaven, or many paths to God, as I will further clarify in a moment. Remember this post is about God's will for our lives. The destination is Christlikeness, and only by being in the will of God, by following the will of God, do we get there.

When it comes to the will of God it's important that we know God and listen to Him clearly. We have to weigh what we "hear" (in quotes because I don't know anyone who has audibly heard God speak) against Scripture because I think at times we can miss hear what God said, by putting our own spin on it. We have to be careful that we don't hear something from God that He never said. We have to be careful not to twist His words to mean something they were never meant to mean.

In order to discern the will of God we must know God. We must know who He is in order to know what He is instructing us to do. So at times it might seem like God has changed His plan for us simply because we "heard" something He never said.

I think other times He says things to test our response and faithfulness. This happened in my own life earlier this year. God asked for something I wasn't crazy about doing, but I really had the sense, and my wife confirmed she had the same sense, that God was asking us to commit to this. We took a deep breath and said "Ok". And after God saw our faithfulness and trust in Him, He delivered us from the situation.

When it comes to the will of God and His plan for us, I don't think it's a set line and anything off of the line isn't His plan. I think a better way to think about God's plan is as a river. Sometimes the river is wide, other times it's narrow. Sometimes there is only one branch, other times it splits into several. Sometimes the water is calm and tranquil, other times there are rapids. But as long as you're in the river, you're in the will of God.

To play off of Finding Nemo, "All rivers lead to the ocean." The Ocean represents the throne of God/Heaven, and as long as you're in the river you'll get there. As we float down the river, we become more like Christ. As we go through the rapids we are strengthened and transformed into the Image of His Son. And as we become like Christ we are able to see God.

I don't think God's plan is always set in stone, exact, one option. I do think that Romans 8.28 is fully correct that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And that purpose is to conformed to the image of His Son, and when we do that there is justification and glorification. When we jump into the river, we enter into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We begin the journey of Christlikeness that leads to the throne of God.

So ultimately, just make sure you're in the river, don't limit God's will to one option, one branch, one little stream. Instead realize that everything that serves to make you more like Christ is part of the will of God. Make sure you spend time with Him. Learn to know His voice, and enjoy the ride down the river. Take the rapids with the calm waters. And just remember, all rivers lead to the ocean.

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you