I
find the banal way d phraseology “will of God” is used very exasperating! I acknowledge that for a few, it is indeed a
statement of faith, for some others, it might pass for a statement of fact and
for a vast majority it is a cunningly slothful way of evading responsibilities!
Imagine
a mom’s response to her child’s request for cookies being: No dear, it’s not
the will of God for you! Or a teenage girl tells her dad she desires to be a
fashion designer and all her dad can tell her is that it’s not the will of God
for her! How can she understand that! And how on earth can I understand my boyfriend’s
failure to take the requisite steps because he is not sure it is the will of
God!
Oh!
Dear boyfriend! What in God’s name is the will of God! You hover around me like
bees on a honey comb; you query me for being on the phone with another for too long! You fraternize with my entire
family like you knew them before me and yet you do not confess your intention
‘cos you need to confirm the will of God! How I’m I supposed to understand
that. Shouldn't you rather give me a wide berth while u confirm God’s will?
I
apologize for the deviation, let’s put my dear boyfriend aside and tackle this
issue. What exactly is the Will of God? Isn't the phrase vague? How can we know
God’s specific will for our individual lives?
Countless
thoughts and literature abound on this subject which I wouldn’t want to analyse
here. But if you are like me, the more you read on topics like this, the more
mysterious it becomes. I’m no longer mystified about this concept because I am
a friend of God! Lol! Yeah! So I enjoin you to become his friend so you might
understand what I now understand. And yes! That’s the first step, to know the
will of God, you must befriend God!
Many
Christians are still babies and need help to understand God’s will and that’s
why they run to pastors and prophets. In the days of old, When Jesus, the
mediator was not available, it was the norm to consult the prophets but today,
we have access to God himself yet most of us fail to use the access we have(See
Hebrews 1:1-2). This is not to totally undermine the role of our Spiritual
parents, pastors and prophets in providing spiritual guidance to knowing God’s
will. It’s just a wake-up call to YOU to maximize the access God has given you
to Him.
The
importance of the Bible as a timeless and prolific compass to understanding
God’s will cannot also be over emphasized. The Bible is replete with God’s will
in different general areas. E.g. God
wills that we all be chaste. (1 Thess 4:3) He wills for us to prosper and have
good health (1 John 1:2) e.t.c. But of course, the bible doesn't name Omowunmi’s
husband neither would the bible specifically ask me to choose GTBank over First
Bank to work for or bank with. However, most of us want specifics that’s why we take pictures and names of suitors to prophets…Hmmmm…
Since the Bible does not usually do specifics,
how then can we know God’s exact will in specific individual situations?
I
found a profound scripture that laid my mind to rest on this issue! Philippians
2: 13(NIV) which says: for
it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good
purposes. What a Rhema! Do catch it if you can! As for me, I believe that
God’s will is in my desires, God’s will is in my gifts and abilities, and God’s
will is in me. And as long as I continually align myself with Him, I cannot
miss His will…
After
all said, written, typed, and done, thy will be done oh Lord!
Shalom!
