He explained he expected her to say something about healing, being free from the obvious pain she was in, or even to go home soon. So he was surprised with her answer of “That God’s will and purpose for me, even now, is fulfilled.”
His friend died a short two weeks later. Her response to his question changed his perspective on his prayer life. His friend could have asked for better health, leaving the hospital, to just go home, a chance to enjoy her children and grandchildren longer and more. But instead she asked for ‘God’s Will.’ She wanted to be aligned with the God she worshiped and loved with all her heart.
It’s hard to ask for God’s will when we are praying for someone close to us who is chronically ill. We often think selfishly about what we want to see happen. While we don’t want our loved one to suffer, surely we don’t want them to leave us! If only God would take away the pain and difficulty of what they are going through! God’s will is all powerful and when we recognize that, we understand that our asking for His will, includes taking them home.
Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane when he looked at his Father, knowing the pain and agony of the cross was his destiny, and asking God if he could to take it away, yet finishing his request with, ‘Not my will but yours!’
We aren’t alone in our feeling of despair when things are leading to a permanent separation. Jesus has been there. Yet he knew God had a purpose and plan for his life.
The woman mentioned at the beginning of this post knew it too. She understood, that trusting and believing that His perfect will is going to be just the right answer to fulfill His destiny for her life. She couldn’t have known the impact her choice of words would have on so many people!
It doesn’t mean we won’t experience pain and tears, but we can absolutely know that God does not make mistakes and all actions taken by Him are not from an impulsive or careless judgement call. He’s got a very specific plan for each of us. As Believers we also have the added element of his perfect peace and joy when we abide in Him, and that makes the trial all the easier, even when we don’t understand, whether it be for ourselves or someone we love.
Praying for God’s will and purpose in our lives isn’t always an easy choice. Sometimes it takes us down roads we hadn’t planned, and sometimes it means a trial we had no idea would come. Yet, we can know with certainty, that if it’s His will, then there is a specific purpose why God has chosen that for us. When we surrender our will to His, he will surprise us in ways we hadn’t imagined, too!
#surrenderOurWill #YourWillBeDone #surrenderAll #WeAren'tAlone #PurposeAndPlan #God'sWillInOurLives #God'sWill #God'sWillNotOurs
https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/gethsemane?license-free=true545
No comments:
Post a Comment