The Living Will of God

Some people think they have missed the will of God. They see their failures as preventing them from ever reaching the perfect will of God again. Thus, they never believe they can have the will of God with a spouse because they are divorced. They can't see themselves as doing what God wants them to do because they are in deep financial debt. They think the will of God is like a bus that has been missed. They can only see themselves standing where they are right now without a way to go forward.

Fortunately, they are wrong. Let's suppose that you did indeed marry the wrong person. You tried to make it work but there was nothing you could do to remain married. So, you got divorced. Now, if we accept the idea that there is only one will of God, etched in stone, written in a book, tattooed on your arm, then, you will have to take something other than the will of God for the rest of your life. That's just not the God of the Bible.

Moses would have remained outside of God's will as a murderer if God only used people who were constantly in His will. Samson would never have avenged his people at the end of his life. Paul would  have remained someone who persecuted Christians.

Let's face it: God uses broken people to accomplish His will.

I understand God's will in this way: God's will never changes in principle. He never says that doing wrong is right. He uses wrong to bring about right but He does not author the wrong. Knowing everything at all times makes the will of God fluid in our perspective. He already knows every thought and action we will do in our lives. He brings His will into our lives with that knowledge. He, therefore, takes those things which we have done wrong and right to invite us into His will.

In other words, God's will is always about where we are right now. Yes, there are consequences for our past but we are never beyond His will. We can walk with Him in His will at this minute if we choose.

I read recently that a lady said she didn't marry her soul mate. I thought it was very two dimensional of her as I read the article. She said that she had made several decisions along the way to date and marry her husband. She took responsibility for marrying him but thought of her decision as hers alone. I wondered what she thinks a soul mate is. Maybe all those Disney movies made her think that she had no choice and had to marry the prince.

God does not wrench our personalities away from us to bring about His will. He does not ignore who we are. He may call someone with a handicap to do what handicapped people supposedly can't do but instead of simply allowing them to overcome their weakness, He uses that weakness to do His will. Failure is the nutrient to grow a people into God's will when people put themselves in His will.

People think that doing wrong at some juncture of their lives means that they have to take something less than God's will. Then, by the Scripture (Romans 3:23) no one is ever in the perfect will of God. We have all missed being perfect.

Thus, God takes what stands before Him and can give that person his or her soul mate. It doesn't matter how many times each of them have been divorced. It doesn't matter what their pasts may have been. His will is living and dynamic. It does not change because He knew the past of each individual. He knew those failures before they ever happened. He takes them as they are and offers His will.

I have no idea how many times I have missed the will of God. I can name a few. But I also know that God did not forget me for a minute. He did not put me on the back shelf for something less than what He had planned for me. He took me each day that I was willing to follow Him and gave me His will.

Paul wrote that our minds must be renewed. From this we test and prove the will of God. That doesn't happen in one decision. It happens all the time. Our minds are either renewed into seeing the world and all that is in it through God's eyes or conformed to seeing the world as the world seeks to be seen.

Throughout the day we walk in His will. The destination doesn't disappear because we have walked off the path. God simply gives us a new path. That path always existed but we just didn't know it was there. We may regret leaving the original path but that doesn't change God's desire for us to walk in His will.

Today is the day you have to follow the will of God. This decision may need to be made several times today. God will still bring you home if you don't. His will is always in front of you.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)
²  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.