A Line from Lisa…on Loving God’s Will

The other day I opened my Bible and a poem written on the fly leaf many years ago caught my eye. I can’t remember where I was or what was going on in my life when I first heard this poem and jotted it down but now, as I read it again, a holy niggle began to grow inside me. My mind went back to last month’s article where I acknowledged God’s gifts and plans for each day and my desire to be truly grateful for them. But, I began to wonder if I was missing something. Was there more, something deeper I needed to consider? This is the first stanza of the poem I was reading:

I used to pray with puzzled heart

And oft the tears would flow;

My prayer was very earnest then,

“Help me Thy will to know”.

I could certainly identify with that request. Throughout the 64 years I have walked with the Lord, there have been many times of uncertainty, challenge and decisions which caused me to ‘earnestly’ seek His wisdom and clear direction. I’m ashamed to admit my prayers to the Father often come wrapped in my own suggestions, a list of options to choose from, ways it might be done, and even a possible timeline. How does He put up with me?! Patiently He listens and then lovingly directs me into His will, His plans, and His timeline. That leads us to the second stanza where I read these words:

I later prayed with fearful heart

Because God’s will I knew;

My prayer was much more earnest then,

“Help me Thy will to do”.

I wish I could say my response to knowing the Father’s will is peaceful acceptance, but that is not always the case as He directs my steps onto unknown pathways and in directions I fear to tread. I kneel once again, this time seeking the courage and enabling only He can give. As I pray, the precious words of Is. 41:10 come to mind: “Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. Even then, I find myself struggling to trust, follow, and hold on as He walks me through the scary bits! I wrestle with the constant temptation to find a different way, an easier way. Thankfully our Father is patient. Lovingly he leads, encourages, strengthens and carries me throughout the journey. Now we come to stanza three. This is the more, the deeper consideration that captured my thoughts as I read:

Today I pray with yielded heart

To my Father up above;

My prayer is very simple now,

“Help me Thy will to love”.

Those words, “Help me Thy will to love” became the focus of my attention. Can I honestly say I love the Father’s will? Truthfully? Well, it depends on what it is. When His will brought Roy and I together as husband and wife, I certainly loved it! When He chose to bless our lives with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren I had no problem loving His will. Indeed, there have been a myriad of wonderful gifts, opportunities and joys from the Father’s hand that have filled my heart with honest praise and thanksgiving. However, there have been other ‘gifts’: cancer, depression, death of loved ones and friends, tear-stained goodbyes and major changes as we packed up our lives and moved to other countries. I have to confess my love of the Father’s will is fickle at best. Why is that? Could it be because I am focussing too much on the gift and not enough on the Giver?

How can I question or doubt that the Father’s will for me flows from His eternal heart of love - and what a GREAT LOVE it is!! It is the SO love that offered His Son to pay my debt and invited me to spend forever at home with Him. As these thoughts made their way from my mind into my heart, the niggle became clear. I need to do more, much more than just acknowledge and accept God’s will. I need to love it! Is that really possible? How do I love what is challenging, painful and certainly not what I would have chosen? I go to the Giver. The One who has chosen the pathway is the One who has also provided the enabling by His Holy Spirit. His plans and purposes for my life are perfect, right and best. I am a child of God, saved by the blood of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit and have the Word of God in my hands. Loving the Father’s will is not only my reasonable service but should be my very real privilege. I regret I am only coming to terms with this now but am so grateful for those holy niggles the Father uses in conforming me to the image of His Son.

There is a chorus we used to sing in Sunday School with these words:

He’s still working on me

To make me what I ought to be

It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars

The sun, the earth and Jupiter and Mars

How loving and patient He must be!

‘Cause He’s still working on me.

Thank you Father for your loving and patient perseverance with me as I seek to bring you glory by truly loving your perfect will for my life.