The Question: Is It God's Will?
If you've ever prayed a prayer that includes the words, "God if it is your will...," The following might interest you.
Many of us have found prayers which included those words to be rather ineffective, haven't we? Maybe it's because we just aren't familiar enough with God's will, plan, and purpose. But, it doesn't have to be that way.
GOD'S WILL IS KNOWABLE
The good news is that God's will and testament is still in print. It is there that we find that Jesus' actions during his earthly ministry provide abundant evidence that it was always Jesus' will to heal. Each of the following passages are examples of Jesus healing ALL those who came to him (Matthew 4:23; 8:16; 12:15; Luke 6:19, 9:11, etc.). In fact, there are no examples in scripture where anyone who came to him did not leave without their request being granted. From these, his will in the matter appears clear.
So where is the disconnect?
APPREHENDING AND ADMINISTERING GOD'S WILL
As perfect and as powerful as God's will is and as wonderful as Jesus was in carrying it out, for us apprehending and administering his will is often the weak link in the chain. The disciples, for example, after being empowered by Jesus and sent out to heal in his name, experienced great success (Mark 6:13). On the other hand, we also know of at least one instance where they hit a brick wall.
"'I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him....' Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment" (Matthew 17:16 NIV)
Even in this example where healing didn't come through the prayers of Jesus' disciples, God's will to heal was never in question, just the ability to carry it out. The good news is that we can come to better understand God's will and therefore, successfully administrate and receive its benefits as revealed in scripture. If the apostles could grow in this area, so can we.
WHAT THE APOSTLES EVENTUALLY UNDERSTOOD ABOUT GOD'S WILL
After Jesus resurrection, Peter and John healed a man at the temple gate and immediately received pushback from religious leaders. After their release, they prayed about and assessed the situation (Acts 3-4). In doing so, they said something very interesting about God's will, plan, and purpose.
"... Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, to do whatever Your hand and Your plan had predestined to take place." (Acts 4:27-28 CSB)
Notice how they connected God's hand, his ability to act, along with his will to act. Some translations render these words "hand and plan" as, "power and will," or "hand and purpose." God's will and willingness to perform it decided to work together in total agreement with each other. That means, God is set upon seeing his will come to pass. Understanding this union was foundational to the apostles' lives, enabling them to take the next step and act upon it as demonstrated in their next breath.
"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30 NIV)
They called upon the very hand that moves nations to intervene in their own situation. We can do the same.
GOD'S HAND ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
It wasn't enough for the apostles to realize that God acts according to his own will and that his hand, his ability to act, is already in cahoots with his will. They had to come to the realization that their role was to call upon God's already established will, inviting him to stretch out his hand close enough to touch them where they were at, so that God could work through them.
God's will was not in question, nor did they need plead that God would agree with their will in the matter. Instead, they invited God's well-established will as represented in the gospel, along with his power to bring his will to pass. Does this sound familiar? It should, many of us recite a prayer ever week that affirms the exact same sentiment when we pray that God's Kingdom would come and that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.
SHOULD WE EXPECT RESULTS FROM OUR PRAYERS?
The apostles expected results from their prayers and look at what happened.
"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.... With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them... The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people." (Acts 4:31, 33; 5:12 NIV)
The question is not whether it is God's will to do good, the question is the extent to which we expect God to perform his will among us.
PRAYING FROM GOD'S WILL INSTEAD OF GUESSING WHAT IT IS
Should we expect that our prayers inviting God into our situation to carry the same power it did for the early believers? Let's consider a few things. Firstly, the apostles were charged by Jesus to teach all who came after them, everything that Jesus commanded them to do (Matthew 28:20). Secondly, that charge to them is included in the same great commission that announces that that certain signs would follow those who believe (Mark 16:17-18).
Later, both Paul and the writer of the letter to the Hebrews came on the scene to confirm this call to believe, act, and perpetuate the gospel in this way when they said:
"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV).
"Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith." (Hebrews 13:7 NIV).
Have you looked at what Paul did in his ministry when he called upon God's will to intervene? God's will might be mysterious in many respects, but that does not mean that it is unknowable either. It simply takes the desire and action to immerse ourselves in it, together so that we might be better equipped to receive and administer his will.
WHY DON'T OUR PRAYERS GET ANSWERED AND WHY DON'T SOME PEOPLE GET HEALED?
Instead of looking to the heavens and placing blame on God, ourselves, or someone who has prayed for us when our prayers go seemingly unanswered, remember this. We live in a fallen world. It was created in perfection, but rebellion knocked creation off of its axis. Jesus, on the other hand, has come with the good news of redemption where he began to set things on earth, as they are in heaven. And, he assigned us to work alongside of him in his mission. The problem is that we're still learning how to do that.
Faith, as outlined in Hebrews 11, is about believing and acting upon things we cannot see, things like God's will. Even if we see and understand a great deal of it, no one person has it all like Jesus did. Even together it will appear that stumbling forward is the best that we can do. That's why some prayers go seemingly unanswered. We don't yet know what we don't know.
MOVING FORWARD
Stumbling and moving forward, however, must include going beyond scratching our heads concerning God's will. If Jesus is correct that we should seek first his Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, and that those who seek will find, we must do that. If it were easy and inviting to move and grow in faith, everyone would be doing it... right? Believing that there is more to God's will than we have experienced thus far is where we begin. Revisiting the gospels is a great place to start. The classic, Christ the Healer by F.F. Bosworth is a wonderful resource for better understanding God's will that we be healed.
Gathering around those who have more experience moving in this direction is another way to feed yourself with the workings of God's will. Some thing, after all, are better caught than taught.
MOVING FROM DISCOURAGEMENT TO FAITH
Faith as small as a mustard seed can accomplish great things, but faith must rest upon understanding God's nature, character, and therefore, his will. When we're ignorant of those things in one degree or another, it can only produce disappointment, frustration, and discouragement in those areas. When we're tired of wondering why God doesn't sweep in and rescue us, it is time to discover that he sent Jesus for that very purpose. Our problem has always been in knowing how to attain and administer what Jesus already accomplished. There is no other way to begin to leave discouragement behind.
A slight shift from wondering what God's will is, to asking God how he wants to apply his will is the launching pad to seeing our prayer become more successful. His sheep know his voice and when it comes to this kind of prayer, we can learn how to better incline our ears to what he has to say. Yes, it takes practice but one that is totally worth the effort. If we want God to stretch his hand in our direction, we will likely need to be stretched a little ourselves.
