Photo from The Library of Congress
The other day at church I did a bible study which I aptly titled, “God’s Will”. The reason I chose that topic is due to the frequency in which I hear that term used. Now, I in no way mean to offend anyone, or claim that what you consider God’s will, is not. My concern is that the term is often bantered about without much thought put into it.
When there’s a 20 car pileup on a foggy interstate and multiple lives are lost, is it God’s will that all those people died? If some family is heartbroken due to losing a loved one in an accident, is that God’s will? When someone gets cancer at a young age, or any age, is that God’s will? If a child is born with multiple deformities, is that God’s will? If you lose your house in a fire or tornado, is that God’s will?
Okay, how about if you really wanted to get into a particular college, but weren’t accepted, is that God’s will? How about a job that you were really hoping to get, gets offered to someone else, is that God’s will? How about if the guy or girl of your dreams turns out to be a nightmare, is that God’s will?
I think you can probably see where I’m going with this. Now I would be a fool to say that none of those things could have been God’s will, because they could have. What I want us all to consider is that God has given all of us free will; not only those who follow Him, but everyone on this earth.
That means we all have the freedom to follow God, or to deny Him. We have the freedom to be kind or cruel, loving or hateful, generous or selfish; encouraging or hurtful. God has given us the freedom to walk in the light, or to walk in darkness. If someone chooses to walk in darkness, and it has an adverse effect on us, can we really put it on God and say it was His will?
We may find it reprehensible for someone to get drunk and head out onto the highway; but a self-indulgent drunk doesn’t really care what we think. So, I ask you, if the self-indulgent drunk causes a major accident, was it God’s will that that happened; or was it the tragic effect of a tragic decision?
It’s very easy for us to read God’s will into every aspect of our lives, because sometimes that’s easier than accepting that time and chance can happen to us all; or that there are bad people out there whose path we could cross.
It’s not always easy to determine God’s will in every aspect of our lives. He can put a protective hand around us, or for whatever reason He might not at times. The mind of God is far beyond what any of us mere humans is totally able to understand, but we have to believe that in the end it’s all going to work out for those who follow God.
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