Are You Living in God’s Will?

He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:41-44


Accepting God’s will is easy if He’s offering something that you want. If God is directing you to marry the woman of your dreams, that’s an easy one. I got to do that ten years ago. If God is directing you to a place you’ve always dreamed of living or to a job that pays a lot more money, those are no brainers. But, what if God’s direction leads us to less rather than more?


If God’s will is leading us to what we think is a downgrade or demotion of some sort, then we have a much harder time accepting God’s will. If God directs us to stick it out in a tough situation, we wonder if we’ve really heard from God. It’s easier to obey when life seems easier. It’s essential to obey when everything seems difficult.


Maybe God has led you to a job that you don’t really like so that you will learn to enjoy your family more. Maybe God has put you in a difficult relationship so that He can produce Christ-like character in you. Maybe God has put a difficult person in your life, so that you will learn to become more loving. (Think of it the other way, if everything is going well, then maybe God is using you as the difficult person for someone else).


No one is more closely connected to God than Jesus. In fact, Jesus only did the things that He knew that Father wanted (John 5:19). The entire purpose of Jesus’ life on earth was to fulfill His mission. The Father’s will led Jesus all of the way to the cross.


In the Garden, Jesus cried out to God. His divine mission and His human emotion intersected in a moment of anguish and pain. He never refused to do God’s will. Jesus just needed to make sure that He was hearing things correctly.


What are you unsure of these days? What’s going on in your life that you think might be out of God’s will? If it’s sinful, then you can know for sure, that it’s out of God’s will for you. If it’s difficult, then it might need more patience and evaluation.