FRIDAY
Let’s conclude our week on saying, “If the Lord wills,” by looking at a couple more examples.
First, the Apostle Paul says exactly this on his missionary journeys.
Acts 18:18–21 18 After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. 19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. 21 But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
This is a passing line in the narrative of Acts, but it reveals Paul’s proper understanding of God’s will. He expresses his desire and even his plan to return, but at the end of the day he knows that it is according to God’s will whether he will return or not. He says the same in Romans 1:10, 15:32 and 1 Corinthians 4:19.
Next, we see a beautiful example from the gospels.
Matthew 8:1–4 1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
This simple statement on the part of the leper is packed with good theology. He knows that Jesus has the power to heal him, but does not presume that this grace will be given him. Instead, he says, “if you will.” In this instance it is Jesus’ will to heal him so he does.
This is one of the most difficult aspects of the will of God today. There is so much suffering in the world and sometimes it is God’s will to heal and sometimes it isn’t. From Scripture, we know that God is able to heal, we must ask for his healing, and have faith that God can heal. At the same time however, we must say, “if it is your will,” and accept that it sometimes is not his will to heal right now. Of course, for the believer all will be healed in the new creation. However, it may be God’s will for us to suffer for a time as was his will for Jesus to suffer on the cross. We may not understand why but we must always surrender to his will.
This conflicts with what has been called “name-it-claim-it theology”. In this theology, instead of asking God for healing and submitting to his will in the decision, we are told to solely declare God’s healing over the person. This often involves a fear of naming the illness as well. Don’t admit that the person has cancer. Instead, if we just claim their healing it will happen. This theology turns prayer into a magic incantation and God into our gene in a bottle. God is the sovereign one. We are his servants. In the end, this is a way of humans attempting to take control of what is, in reality, out of our control. We cannot make God heal. It is his will that is to be done on earth, not ours.
Additional Content
“My secret is that I want to be relevant and popular. I want my desires fulfilled and pain minimized. I want a manageable relationship with an institution rather than messy relationships with real people. I want to be transformed into the image of Christ by showing up at entertaining events rather than through the hard work of discipline. I want to wear my faith on my sleeve and not look at the darkness in my heart. And above all, I want a controllable god. I want a divine commodity to do my will on earth as well as in heaven.”
Skye Jethani The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity
Reflection
Reflect on your attempts to control God instead of submitting to his will. We can seek to control God through religious rituals, even obedience expecting him to pay us back with good things for our obedience. We can attempt to control God in many ways. Ask the Spirit to reveal and attempts in your heart to control God. Then take a moment and as the Spirit to help you surrender more to his will.