Confusion knowing God’s will

God has been gracious to me- even more so than usual! Let me tell you about it! My family’s awful storm has been stilled by His mighty hand. You may not know it, but I’ve been blogging for years about a particular health struggle in my family. Knowing God’s will seemed murky and hard to decipher. I wasn’t sure how to pray. In my opinion, knowing God’s will is hard in “normal” times, but during life’s storms, it is so much harder to know how to pray.

Anyway, after a long, long journey, we finally got a favorable medical report! It’s finished. He’s healed! Only God could do what was done.

Only God could have caused organs that had ceased working to function as they should.

It was such an uphill battle. People kept telling me they hoped God would heal my family member …” if it was in God’s will.” I hated that.

I checked my faith level and what I knew about God.

I knew Him to be a Healer. Check.

I knew Him to be gracious. Check.

I knew Him to answer prayer. Check.

Knowing God’s will…knowing when to pray for what you want…

Let me tell you, only God could cause one of the leading medical professionals in the city to eat his own words and deliver a totally opposite diagnosis than the one he petrified us with a month previous.

He told my loved one and our family death would visit us in less than two weeks.

Only God.

“Them” Unbelieving Believers

Many are surprised. They remind me of Rhonda seeing Peter in Acts.

Remember that story? In the Bible, Rhoda can be found in the Book of Acts, specifically in Acts 12:12-17. She was a servant girl in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark.

When an angel miraculously released the apostle Peter from prison, he went to Mary’s house, where many believers had gathered to pray for his release.

Rhoda recognized Peter’s voice and left him standing at the gate to tell the others.

However, they found it hard to believe her, thinking that it might be Peter’s angel or a ghost. They were astonished when they finally let Peter in and saw that he was indeed free.

Doesn’t this story remind you of the power of faith and prayer and the sometimes unexpected ways God works to answer those prayers?

It’s also a testament to the human tendency to doubt even when we pray fervently for something and see it miraculously come to pass.

Same with my family member. Although they meant well, several people told me the illness was God’s will, and the medical death report was something I had to accept.

But God helped me have more faith in His promises than in the medical prognosis or the faithless words of well-meaning friends.

God can move. He can heal. He can deliver.

It wasn’t me or my “super faith” but the matchless power of God’s word and His immeasurable grace.

God still moves on this earth! Remember that!

Listen. When we believe in God’s word, earthly destinies can be altered, family cycles can be stopped, legacies can be changed…and people can experience new hope.

You see, I understand God’s will. I understand it quite well. He has one, and we have to submit to it.

When I buried the majority of my family before I turned 26, I learned to accept God’s will. I also learned to study God’s word and learn how He moves on the earth. This is so important because then you will learn His ways and not put all your faith in the reports of men.

His will is “King.”

Hey, I know that some elements of life cannot and should not be changed. It’s not for me to decide which are which; that is God’s job, but His word told me I could make my request known and leave all the details to Him.

His sovereign will shall always rule, but I’m so grateful I can express to Him what I would like to see occur (Phil.4:6)

Remember, in the end, God’s will is all that matters. My situation could have gone a totally different way, but His will is still the most important thing. I would have had to accept this.

Knowing God’s will: He wants to save!

For example, what if Moses hadn’t interceded for the children of Israel in Exodus 32?

After they acted foolishly, God had decided to destroy them. What if Moses had passively said, “That’s it! I guess we must accept God’s will…”. Then, so many of the victories of the Old Testament would never have been not been told. But He didn’t; instead, Moses (in verses 11-14) asked God for a different outcome.

Amazingly, God, the Creator of the universe, the Master of all, changed His mind ( in verse 14) to show us that He hears us, cares about our desires, and is endlessly merciful! Isn’t that awesome?

He wants to heal, too!

What if the woman with the issue of blood hadn’t tried to reach out to Jesus? What if she had just said, “Maybe, it’s God’s will I am sick”? What if Paul had accepted the scales on His eyes and said, “Maybe it’s God’s will I am blind?”… In spite of God saying the opposite!

So, remember that God cares about your salvation in eternity and your comfort on earth. If you’re curious about knowing God’s will, just ask.

Another important point…

Now, know this: He will not always grant you what you want.

Sometimes, you don’t know what you want; other times, what you want will cause damage to you and His plan for your life. He is the Decider, not you. In such cases, you just trust Him. Amen?