GOD’S WILL: PERFECT BUT NOT ALWAYS EASY

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

          When we as Christian’s think of God’s perfect will, we think of an unproblematic will. We get so immersed in the promise itself; that we fail to give thought to the process before the promise. To accept God’s perfect will for our lives, we may have to endure various hardships. Numerous people in the Bible had to endure adversities such as: waiting, solitude, abandonment, sickness, imprisonment, and even crucifixion to receive God’s promise. As it goes for many of us today, we too must endure throughout our hardships and trust God. My Bible says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5, NIV). There may be times in our lives where nothing seems to make any sense. Everything appears to be out of place and all seems to be hopeless. It is then that we are challenged to exercise our faith in God’s Word. God never promised that the journey to the “Promise Land” would be easy; He promised that He’d get us there. “You only need to remain calm; the Lord will fight for you." (Exodus 14:14, NCV)

          God is an engineer. He engineers circumstances and situations for our good and His eternal glory. The very circumstance that we despise may be the will of the Lord. Satan will try to tell us that we’re going the wrong way because of how it seems. The devil is a liar. When it seems that we’re the furthest from God’s will, we usually are knee deep in it. Wherever you are in the Lord, know that you’re in the right place at the right time. God has His own way of fulfilling His promises. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8, NKJV) Sometimes God has to hurt us to heal us; break us down to rebuild us; cleanse us first and then clothe us in His righteousness.
      
         God has innumerable promises for His people. It’s up to us to obey Him to see these promises come to pass. When and how these promises will be fulfilled is up to our Heavenly Father. He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.” (Acts 1:7, NLT) Walking in the will of the Lord can be a blinding, scary, and an elusive experience. It can also lead to heart-ache, financial strain, and alienation. The great promise is that in the end we will be victorious and full of joy. “So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:17, MSG) As a fellow believer, I encourage you to remain in the Lord’s will; which is perfect, but not always easy. Remember, God’s will for our lives is much greater than what we want for our lives.

God Bless