The Curious Will of God
“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…..” Matthew 6:9
Some see the will of God as scary and precarious because they have to give up certain controls of their lives. I used to be one, but I see it all differently now because of the extraordinary life experiences God’s will has led me to. One thing we know for sure, is that He always has our good and benefit in mind as He leads us into His perfect will of new opportunities. God’s will is indeed curious.
I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I find this curious that God commands us to give thanks when many think that it is optional to say, “thank you”. A thankful spirit is the will of God. I sang heartily in the church choir practice that even with other choir members because I had a particularly thankful heart as it seemed God showered blessings on me in abundance. I stood up when given the chance and gave praise to God with my voice for His great mercy.
The next morning, I went to work, and my supervisor called me to her office to give me a substantial reprimand. I was surprised and more surprised when one complaint multiplied to several complaints. She ended her reprimand by sending me home for the rest of the week without pay. As a newly single parent with a daughter, that hurt for more than a minute. I still remember driving home and remembering the night before and how I gave voice to my thankfulness for God’s providences blessings, mercy and lovingkindness. In that moment I still felt that I had done the right thing to give thanks.
It was God’s will that I gave thanks the night before and I had to accept that it was God’s will that I was put on leave for three days. I got my job back the next week and in fact within a month they put me on full time. Curious, huh? Again, God’s will is curious.
Romans 12: 2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, ….” We may be uncertain about what the right thing is but the Apostle Paul gives a clear path to renewing our mind so we can embrace the will of God. Who knew that the best way to know God’s will and do it is to allow our mind to be renewed by the scrutiny of a divine transformational process.