Whose Will?

We've all heard the term, said the term, thought the term; "Lord let YOUR will be done." Whose will is being done though? Are we truly always seeking the will of the Living God? The Creator of all things, the Alpha and the Omega. Or do we sometimes seek the will of God when it suits us, or worse, seeking our own will but claiming that it's the Lord's will?

In Dueteronomy, we see what can happen when a person or a group of people don't seek first the will of God. The Israelites had been taken out of hardship and suffering in Egypt by God. They had seen great miracles and been given great signs by God. When they had left Horeb, and came to the land of the Amorites, their belief was given a test. The Lord commanded them to go into the land of the Amorites and take it. He even told them what the outcome was going to be, "See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 1:21) The Israelites then sent spies out to check the land, and they brought back good news to the people. Showing them the fruit of the land they said "It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us." (Deuteronomy 1:25) Even with this report from the spies, and more importantly with the assurance that God had given that they would take the land, the Israelites began to grumble. They became scared and according to Deuteronomy 1:27 "You grumbled in your tents and said, the Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us." When the Lord heard this he became angry, and when the Israelites realized their error they said "We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us." (Deuteronomy 1:41) When they said this though the Lord told them, not to go because He would not be with them and they would lose. Again the Israelites rebelled and went out to fight the Amorites, and they were beaten back by the Amorites. All of this could have been avoided. Pain and suffering from the loss of battle could have been avoided if they had only first listened and followed the instruction and will of God.

Fast forward and few thousand years from the time of the Israelites in the desert and a rewind a couple thousand years from right now to a garden. To a garden at night, where friends slept, and a carpenter prayed. What was it that he prayed that night? What did he say to his Father? What did He know was going to happen to Him? What did He know that He could do to stop it? "Father, if your are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

So I'll ask again, are we as Christians truly following and listening for the will of God? Are we seeking first His will? The will of God, who created us and knows each of our needs. Or are we seeking His will on a part-time basis, and leaning on ourselves for the rest?

Dustin Smoot