0421 GOD’S WILL BE DONE

THE LORD’S WILL BE DONE

Jesus taught us to pray, “May Your kingdom come. May Your will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven.” We always pray for God’s will to be done, just as we seek to fulfill the part of God’s will that is our individual role. But sometimes hearing and doing God’s will presents a conflict of interests. This chapter provides a perfect illustration of the conflict of interests that can come about from our pursuit of God’s will. Okay, let me just get into it.

First, we find a group of local believers in Tyre, who prophesy about Paul. They even prophesy “through the Holy Spirit,” which seems like a clear indicator of God’s will. So far, so good, right? Here’s what they said:

These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem. 

The group traveling with Paul moved on, stopping in Caesarea for some days.That’s when the prophet Agabus comes by. “He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’” 

Now, if you were the one about whom this message was given, what would you conclude? Between the prophecy in Tyre saying that Paul should not go to Jerusalem, and this one from Agabus saying that he will be bound by the Jewish leaders and turned over to the Gentiles.”

I would suppose you and I would conclude what the group traveling with Paul did: When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

Seems like a perfectly reasonable conclusion to draw from these messages which come from the Holy Spirit, doesn’t it? If you go, you will not be able to further God’s mission on earth, so His kingdom will not come, and His will will not be done. The whole group heard Agabus and would have voted unanimously against Paul going to Jerusalem. After all, if Paul goes to Jerusalem, then God’s will is blocked from being done.

Right?

But here is Paul’s immediate response to the words from the Lord: he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” 

Oops!

Maybe I got the will of God and my own wellbeing kind of mixed together. Paul’s response kind of puts a damper on that on/off switch that I think of as God’s will. I think Paul knew the key to discerning the difference between God’s will and mine. He had said it in the last chapter, but I skipped over his declaration then. Here is what he said:

I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

Oh, yeah! I remember now: it’s about the MISSION, not the SAFETY of the worker. God’s will can be advanced, whether or not I am the particular tool for God to use in carrying it out. Indeed. But after trying all of those arguments with Paul, the group resigns to let Paul have the freedom to mess up, or whatever.

When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Yes! Let the Lord’s will be done. Let the apostle sacrifice himself, if that is what is needed for the kingdom’s advancement.

May you and I see it so clearly, and may we make advancing the kingdom of God our only priority. Amen.