During the prayer class we’ve been talking about praying according to God’s will. It’s interesting, every time I take one of our courses He magnifies the truth I’ve seen “through a glass dimly” even more. Here’s a small excerpt from one of my recent journals.
And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours. 1 John 5:14-15 (MSG)
Jaque, I desire truth in the inward parts. I desire that you know the truth by heart (that your heart knows the truth). All who belong to Me know My will. “And God wills that all men should be saved.” Do I therefore will salvation for all? Yes. But you know not all are or will be saved. “And He healed them all.” Do I therefore will that all be healed? Yes. But you know that not all are or will be healed. So does the outcome of those who are not saved or healed change My will?
I deliberately haven’t posted the rest of the journal. Just from the question I’m wondering what your answer would be if He posed it to you? If it doesn’t change His will why do things happen as they do? If you think it means His will is not to save and heal all, why do you think so?
This is deep! Obviously God has the power to make everything conform to His will. But things don’t always happen according to His expressed will, as He stated above. James says he never tempts anyone to sin, but obviously that happens all the time. So therefore, He must allow things to happen that are not His will. This week in COG, we’re studying that God is timeless and unchanging. So my answer to the question is no, God’s will has not changed, even though something happens that He would not want. His promise to those that love him is that he will work all things together for good. Amazing! God wins with any hand – even a pair of 2’s! He will use what ever happens for His glory.
Georgia,
Yesterday I listened to one of the old God’s Money Highway CDs since I’ve currently planning a revision. I quoted Oswald Chambers from “My Utmost for His Highest” the following words.
“I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth” (Gen. 9:13).
“It is the will of God that human beings should get into moral relationship with Him, and His covenants are for this purpose. Why does not God save me? He has saved me, but I have not entered into relationship with Him. Why does not God do this and that? He has done it, the point is – Will I step into covenant relationship? All the great blessings of God are finished and complete, but they are not mine until I enter into relationship with Him on the basis of His covenant.
Waiting for God is incarnate unbelief, it means that I have no faith in Him; I wait for Him to do something in me that I may trust in that. God will not do it, because that is not the basis of the God-and-man relationship. Man has to go out of himself in his covenant with God as God goes out of Himself in His covenant with man. It is a question of faith in God – the rarest thing; we have faith only in our feelings. I do not believe God unless He will give me something in my hand whereby I may know I have it, then I say – “Now I believe.” There is no faith there. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved.”
When I have really transacted business with God on His covenant and have let go entirely, there is no sense of merit, no human ingredient in it at all, but a complete overwhelming sense of being brought into union with God, and the whole thing is transfigured with peace and joy.”
This was a tremendous blessing to me–again
. I believe it fits here perfectly. Ultimately God allows it. Yes. Because God allowed Satan into the Garden.
However, there’s paradox. I can find myself waiting for God to do something, all because I’m dwelling in the place of forgetfulness of not ’seeing (or remembering) what He’s already done.’ Indeed it is a matter of faith. Don’t you think, instead of saying that God allows…this or that, the truth is WE allow…this or that? And that brings me to the question: who is this “we” allowing it? And why, why, why?
“We” is us! Mankind. The collection of all humans who have lived (except Jesus, of course). It all started with Adam and Eve in the garden, who ALLOWED sin to come in, and then as Dr. Phill says, “If you choose the behavior, you choose the consequences.” The consequences are staggering if you you think of all the suffering, pain, and torment that started then and continues for eternity.
“Why” is another consideration. We know Eve was deceived, but Adam disobeyed. And since then we’ve all had to deal with deception and disobedience. But what if someone became so transformed by “Casme” that they saw clearly and always obeyed? Is that what is that it’s talking about when it says “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” (Rom 8:19) ?
Come forth, sons of God!
OOOH I love it Georgia! “What if someone became so transformed by ‘casme’- Christ as Me- that they saw clearly and always obeyed?” This is the freedom Christ died to give us!
Amen! So what are we waiting for?
Nothing. We are waiting for nothing. “Only believe” Jesus said. “Only believe.”
I believe that to live “is” Christ. (Phil 1:21) Amen.