There are things that represent God’s ideal will for us and there are other things which represent His secondary will, which is often a result of us insisting on our own way or complaining of God’s ideals. It is always best for us to have God lead in His own way, and we follow humbly on, trusting His goodness and wisdom, and His power to bring to pass the good He has purposed to do for us.
But if we insist on implementing our will, God often respects our freedom of choice, and grants us what is not for our best good. As a result, serious evils or adverse situations may arise which otherwise would never have occurred, if we had waited patiently on Him. At such instances some retreat into a why-me syndrome, not duly considering that it was our own will that was super-imposed in such and such situation.
This has occurred so often that it needs to be seen for what it is, because those who will live through the final conflict must be living in God’s ideal will, not our own. It is one thing to be tempted, for we know that we will be tempted, but it is another to invite unnecessary temptation. Satan will do what he always does, but we should never encourage or help him in his nefarious work.
When God says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light, it means just that and nothing else, however we often do carry heavy, and unnecessary burdens that God never intended because of the choices we have made contrary to His wise instruction. In fact, if we were to ask God in humility to lead and guide us, we will often discover that life will be much less challenging than it currently is.
Unnecessary diseases, unnecessary divorces, and unnecessary disturbances and arguments do often erupt because we chose my will over thy will. Thus, as we study the ways of God, it will be well for us to cultivate a humble heart and a teachable spirit, for those whom God will lead, must first be willing to be led. In fact, if we were to let go and let God, we will find that His ways are the very best. Let’s read:
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.
4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Deuteronomy 4: 40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, forever.
Especially in our planning and decision-making, we should seek to involve God up front, and hurried or spontaneous actions should be avoided wherever possible, because God’s will is not usually found in spur of the moment actions. God is a God of order, and therefore we should understand that all of His counsels are well-thought out.
There are several examples in the Bible of “my will” being imposed upon God and some instances it may seem as if my will was actually the better, and more sensible thing to do at the moment. But when we look further down the road, we will discover that in many instances, what God permitted was never His will, but He respected the freedom of choice, and
let some plan for themselves. Let’s read:
[1] Moses and Aaron.
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian.
2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.
7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land.
10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
But the excuses begin to fly left, right and center, as they often do with us. First it was a sense of his own insufficiency, then it was the issue of how he would certify God’s name to the people when asked, then again it was the unfounded premonition of unbelief on the part of the Hebrews. Then it was the issue of him not being eloquent.
With every new excuse, God provided assurance that the so-called obstacles would be taken care of, but try as He might, God couldn’t convince Moses that it was best for him to go alone, in Jesus name. Thus, for one reason or another Moses’ will in the matter was respected by God, because He honors our freedom of choice. Let’s read:
Exodus 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
12 And He said, Certainly I will be with thee.
13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.
18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
Exodus 4: 10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
Exodus 4:1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.
2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Several miracles were given as evidence to pharaoh and the Hebrews, so as to convince Moses that God would be with him. But after all of this, after Moses had run out of excuses, and still refused, God finally gave in and gave him Aaron to go with him. As we read the narrative, one has to wonder whether God would have ever chosen Aaron, or if he was a last resort of sorts. Let’s read:
Exodus 4:14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
15 And thou shalt speak unto him and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
It could very well be that God saw trouble brewing down the road with Aaron’s influence, why He had hesitated so long before going that route. It was a true statement that Aaron could speak well, but he also had characteristics that would put the Hebrew people in very grave danger, and thus cause three thousand of them to be slain. All this might have been avoided if “My will” didn’t impose upon “Thy will”.
[2] Moses and the seventy elders.
Here we go again! Moses is facing a stubborn and complaining people who are bent on insurrection. It is taking a heavy toll on him, his patience is wearing thin, and in frustration he begins to plan for himself. Instead of trusting in the arm of Omnipotence, his faith stumbles, and he believes that God has made a mistake in making him the leader alone.
Thus, in the heat of the moment, a spontaneous suggestion is made, and it is granted in response to the freedom of choice. To the surface reader, it may seem logical for others to share the burdens Moses was carrying, so that he wouldn’t prematurely wear out. But as far as God is concerned, the suggestion is a mistake, and would culminate in apostasy in the future, but the human agent does not see this, and again, “My will” is suggested over “Thy will”. Let’s read:
Numbers 11:10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
11 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father?
14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, “whom thou knowest” to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 380] The Lord hearkened to his prayer and directed him to summon seventy men of the elders of Israel—men not only advanced in years, but possessing dignity, sound judgment, and experience. The Lord permitted Moses to choose for himself the most faithful and efficient men to share the responsibility with him.
Their influence would assist in holding in check the violence of the people, and quelling insurrection; yet serious evils would eventually result from their promotion. They would never have been chosen had Moses manifested faith corresponding to the evidences he had witnessed of God's power and goodness.
[3] This leads us to our third and final example: The people clamor for a king, against the revealed will of God.
1st Samuel 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
Samuel then shows the people in graphic terms what the results of their decision will be, how they would suffer great loss because of their choice, and how their families and finances would be adversely affected, and yet for all this they insisted that they must have a king. So, what does God do? He grants them “My will” instead of “Thy will”. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 8:16 He will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, No; but we will have a king over us;
20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king.
This reminds us of the words of that favorite hymn:
“Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pains we bear,
All, because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer”.
It is worthy of note, what the bible says, pertaining to this specific instance, where my will was super-imposed over thy will, and the Hebrews insisted on having a king. Let’s read:
Hosea 13:9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.
11 I gave thee a king in mine anger and took him away in my wrath.
Thus, the pulling and tugging between “God’s will” and “my will” continues to this very day and can be seen in the many troubles some have brought upon themselves. God presents His ideals, which are the very best for us, but like the Hebrews of old, we do insist on having our own way and in many instances we endeavor to plan for ourselves. Here’s what the Bible has to say on the matter.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 29:1 He that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
A good relationship with God depends much more on our attitude, and on a willingness to obey and let God lead, than many Bible studies and sermons. If a humble and teachable spirit is cultivated, if we were to cultivate a sense of our own inefficiencies, and a sense of God’s omnipotence and intelligence, we will be spared much unnecessary hearth-ache, and worry and most of the problems we now suffer with would never have come our way.
But the issue of freedom of choice is often allowed by us to be used in a manner that we know God will not approve of. We consider ourselves as free moral agents with the freedom to make intelligent choices and not as the beasts who are governed strictly by mere instinct. But we should always remember that in Noah’s day, the animals with instinct went in first while the most intelligent, with freedom of choice stayed out.
In the tsunami that ravaged Indonesia in 2004, it was discovered that most of the animals with their God-given instinct, had fled to higher ground, while tens of thousands of people perished below. Thus, our attitude towards God plays a very huge role in whether or not He will guide us in our decisions.
God does not force His ways upon anyone, neither does He coerce the free will of persons, but we can rest assured, that if we were to acknowledge Him in all our ways, with the attitude of being content with how He leads, blessings will take the place of curses and resolution will take the place of many problems we now suffer from.
In the book of Matthew, we have often read of the “Beatitudes”, which delineate the right attitudes we should cultivate in our relationship with God. In fact, the word itself means supreme blessedness, or exalted happiness, if we were to follow the teaching there given. But verse 5 of Matthew 5 is of critical importance, because it sets the stage for a workable ongoing relationship with Christ.
Faith in God is a must, but genuine faith is exercised when a humble spirit is present. It took humility for Noah to believe that a flood would come, when, for all that was known back then, that belief of his was not based on intelligence. It took a humble spirit to exercise that faith of Abraham when He was told by God that his posterity would number in the millions, even thou his wife was barren.
Thus, in every instance where genuine faith is to be exercised, a humble attitude, is necessary, for God can only lead those who are willing to be led. Many passages teach us this important “Be” “Attitude”. Let’s read:
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Psalms 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Isaiah 40: 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
If in our walk with God, we would seek to cultivate a humble, teachable spirit, then the sky would be the limit for what God will do for us, in us, and through us. Let us then use our freedom of choice to choose “God’s will” and not “My will” for whenever this is done, our lives will be made a whole lot easier than those who insist on “My will”.
Therefore, we close with a quote from the pen of inspiration, and a passage of scripture that should both caution and encourage us in being humble. Let’s read:
[Humble Hero pp 313] Many who profess to claim the Lord’s promise talk about Christ and about the Holy Spirit, yet they receive no benefit. They do not surrender their lives to be guided by the divine agencies. We cannot use the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is to use us. But many want to manage themselves. God gives the Spirit only to those who wait humbly on Him.
Luke 22:41 And he kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.
God Bless!