God has expressed His heart’s desire for “a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfill all My will” (Acts 13:22), and He has had that wish gratified by the blessed Lord Jesus, who said, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God” (Psa. 40:8).”Who gave Himself for our sins ... according to the will of God” (Gal. 1:4), and taught His disciples to pray, “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).
No adverse will in the Man Christ Jesus ever warred against God’s will; no sinful thought or selfish desire ever marred the fragrance of His life. Distressing circumstances only served to display the perfection of His heart. His acquiescence in the will of God He sweetly expressed, “Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight” (Matt. 11:26).
To those He has redeemed, He reveals those marvelous delights that flow to them from the will of God, declaring that “whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother” (Matt. 12:50). Thus He proclaimed the endearing character of spiritual relationship, using dearest natural ties only, to illustrate the holy intimacy between Himself and His own — dearer than the closest of natural ties.
His Nourishment
“My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me” (John 4:34) is also the needed food to nourish the believer’s life. As a test of faith’s reality, our Lord has declared, “Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). His words assure every truly trustful soul that the will of God secures eternal safety. “This is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me, I should lose nothing. ... This is the will of Him that sent me, that every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him may have everlasting life” (John 6:39-40). It is on record (Psa. 40:6-8) that no service (sacrifice or offerings) could compare with the submission of the Lord Jesus to God’s will. Believers, too, find their “delight” in such subjection to the will of God. The subjects of His gracious purpose should be found “doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:6).
Proving God’s Will
The “proving” of God’s “good, acceptable, and perfect will” (Rom. 12:2) is conditioned upon the “presenting of our bodies a living sacrifice” — being “filled with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col. 1:9) — standing “perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Col. 4:12): “rejoicing evermore,” praying “without ceasing,” “in everything giving thanks, according to the will of God concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).
Be assured that such compliance with God’s will is unattainable by mere personal resolves or endeavors, but how surely we may rely upon the Spirit’s “intercession according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27)! We may also depend upon the power “which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). God has written a guarantee of full compliance; its terms are simple, yet it excludes dependence on anything besides what faith appropriates. If we abandon ourselves to its blest direction, we will prove the happy outcome. God’s desire is to make us “perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever” (Heb. 13:20-21). Rejoice that “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it” (Phil. 1:6).
For an example other than the blessed Lord, the Word testifies of the Apostle Paul: “The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldst know His will. ... Thou shalt be His witness” (Acts 22:14-15). He abandoned self-will when he cried, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). His apostleship by the will of God he recited in five of his Epistles. Even his journeying by the will of God (Rom. 1:10; 15:32) is on record.
For clear views as to sound doctrine, we have also to heed John 7:17: “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.” Heartily subscribing to the solemn fact that there is but one sovereign will in the wide universe, Jesus yielded to the will of God. “Christ pleased not Himself” (Rom. 15:3), so the measure of the soul’s obedience to the will of God is Christ.
Self-Will
There will be no self-will in heaven, and there only complete happiness is known. There will be nothing but self-will in hell, and consequent weeping and wailing. Such realities should impress our souls to spurn the offers of the prince of darkness, remembering that every time self-will governs, we pay the fare, as Jonah did. It seems costly to renounce our own wills, but it is only so if we fail to anticipate the eternal advantage:
“He that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:17).
“After he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise” (Heb. 6:15).
“The glory that shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).
Meanwhile, here and now, we have the blessed assurance that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
The calm of a soul which reposes in the will of God is unspeakable. The Savior said, and we too may say, “I delight to do Thy will.” These are delightful words to His and our loving Father’s ear. Our delight to gratify His desire will be truly evidenced by our lowly subjection and our happy acknowledgment of His blessed will, and it is assuredly the way of blessing. Amidst all life’s uncertainties, may we keep in view the sublime stability of which we have our God’s assurance.
“My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure. ... I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I also will do it” (Isa. 46:10-11).
E. J. Checkley (adapted)