His Will

How often do you feel the need to exercise your will to get something done?

Then Paul answered, 'What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.' Since he would not be persuaded, we remained silent except to say, 'The Lord's will be done.'- Acts 21:13-14

In today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul sounds like he is pushing forward his own agenda when he tells his followers that he will go to Jerusalem, even if it means to be bound and murdered for his beliefs.

His friends and followers are distraught, weeping at the thought of him being tortured and killed, but all they can do is offer it up to God.

If this is your will, Lord, let it be.

But how do we know when what we seek to do is truly His will and not ours alone?

In Paul's case, disciples through the Spirit told him he was to go on to Jerusalem, and another prophet told him he would be captured.

It was as if God was directing him into danger, and warning him at the same time.  He was given both a mission and the option to pass on it, leaving it up to him to choose.

I believe that is the way God works.  He lays out His will and then leaves it up to us to take over.

I don't think that means His will is always something that will lead me into danger.  When I think of the times in my life when I had an opportunity to do something new, some of those times the offering was attractive and exciting.

But there is a difference, I think, in how the opportunity comes to me.  When it is a path that I have planned to take and something I have prepared for, I feel it is truly my own, but when it comes out of the blue, when I have no idea what or how it happened to come my way, I begin to wonder if God's hand is in it.

I guess there are no guarantees that the choices I make are in synch with His will, but I can pray about them and see if some insight manifests itself for me.  If it does, chances are I am on the right path.

So, I had better be in a dialogue with God on a regular basis, or I might miss the opportunity of a lifetime.

More to come...