Theologians talk about God's will in two primary senses: God's known will and God's unknown will or God's revealed will and God's secret will. ALL things ultimately happen according to God's will, but we do not always know what that will is. God's revealed will is found in the Scriptures. If I am wondering whether I should love my wife...God makes HIS WILL plain for me in Ephesians 5:25. If I am wondering if God would have me look at pornography or not...He makes His will plain in 1 Thessalonians 4:3. If I wonder whether I should share the gospel with family and friends, Matthew 28:18-20 gives me God's will on the matter. Through command, principle, or example, the Bible gives me everything I need to know to know and do God's will. It's IN there.
But what about matters that ARE NOT in God's Word? Should we go on vacation tomorrow or next Wednesday or in April instead? If matters that are dealt with in God's Word are all in line (such as: Do we have the money? Can I do this and be faithful to my job? Are we going somewhere and will we be doing things that are healthy and spiritually beneficial for us as a family or couple AND that glorify Christ? Can we go with our obligations at home taken care of?) then we are FREE to make the choice that seems best/wisest to us. But we are to make that choice with the theology of God's will in mind.
James deals with this in the 4th chapter of his letter.
He says to be careful about stating your plans as if you control the universe. Do you or I control the weather or even our own existence? Tornados could come through, like they did in Tennesee and Arkansas, etc. yesterday. Snow could make driving hazadous like it did for us. A child could get the crud that seems to be hitting every family this winter. The transmission in the van could decide that your departure date is the perfect time to die.
James says, "...Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring" v.14. We ALLknow this is true!
He also asks and then answers, "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes" v.15.
We do know how God wants us to plan and we do know what we want to plan. But we DO NOT know if those plans will take place because, while God HAS made known His will for us to plan, He HAS NOT made known what HE will do that will allow those plans to come to fruition or not. We do know ONCE things take place, but not until. So then, should we not plan? NOT AT ALL! The Bible encourages us to plan (Proverbs 20:18, e.g.).
In this area there is a tension as in all areas of truth and action. James gives us that tension in v.15: "Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'"
And so we plan, yet we make our plans with the knowledge that God, not us, is in control, and that because God is in control and has not made us privy to all His plans and decrees, our plans may not be the final plan.
How does this help us?
- It helps us to make plans with the caviat that protects us against devastation when our plans don't go "according to plan." That caviat is, "If the Lord wills..."
- It helps us to remember that God, not us, is in control. Reminder that God is the Sovereign One is a good thing. It affects not only our response to changed plans but it affects HOW we plan.
- It helps us with our disappointment (yes, we STILL get disappointed, even to TEARS!) when plans change. We can truthfully say to ourselves, "Self, God willed this. And His will is ALWAYS good, whether or not it looks or feels like it right now."
- It develops the character that comes from acknowledging and submitting to the good will of God.
- It puts us in the place for God's best.
The Lord has willed that we stay home. Praise His name! It was rough to be turned 180 degrees when our plans called for a 90 degree turn to the east. What are we doing now? Making further plans...with "if the Lord wills" stamped over all of them.
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