A college student in a church I attended when Kaylee was a baby prayed one time for God to use her during her summer vacation as a missionary somewhere.  A few days later, she received an invitation to join a mission team to South Korea.  During a fundraiser to gather the funds to go to South Korea, she gave a testimony where she said, “I prayed to God to be able to go on a mission.  But when this happened, I followed up with a prayer to God and said, ‘But I meant working in hurricane cleanup or something.  NOT South Korea!'”

Whenever I’m preparing to go into prayer to God, I always remember that story.

Gregg and I are facing something very big in our lives right now that we’re praying about.  Two things can happen, and each come with their own set of positives and negatives.  One will be better in the short term, one better in the long term.   I have my own personal hopes, Gregg has his own personal hopes.  Both of us are praying for God’s will.

It’s not easy praying for God’s will.  When you’ve finally given your life fully over to God, and say, “Okay.  You’ve been calling me for decades to do this.  I’ve used every excuse in the book to avoid it, and now that I’m facing the looming jaws of the big fish about to swallow me whole, I’ve decided to go ahead and do what You want me to do.  But You have to open those doors, God, because I’m not the one with the key.”

Suddenly, doors, windows, and even little hatches are being thrown wide open, and the expanse beyond is a little frightening and everything isn’t really on your terms.  But you grab the hand of your spouse and say, “If it’s God’s will…” and you step forward.

If it’s God’s will.

It’s a battle to keep from putting your own will first.  You think you know what’s best for you, for your future, for your family.  You want to trust God, but on your terms and in your own comfort level.  Even Christ, God the Son, human on earth, prayed for God’s will to be done when He knew EXACTLY what was coming and knew how much He didn’t want to experience it.

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42

What it boils down to is trust.  Do we trust the maker of the heavens and the earth?  The omniscient, omnipotent Lord of all?  Or do we trust our own fallible, sinful, flawed selves?

There is absolutely nothing in the world more comforting, satisfying, or rewarding, than the absolute certainty that what you’re doing or living is the will of God.  So why is it so hard to let go of the control and allow God’s will to happen even if we don’t know what that will mean?  Or, worse, we know what it will mean but don’t think we’ll like it much.

2 Corinthians 12:9 promises us that God’s grace is sufficient for us.  And that’s really, all we need to know.  If nothing else, we can cling to that as we walk together through that open door.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.  Psalm 37:23

Hallee

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