The Will of the Lord

2/14/2016

Acts 21.13-14 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” – St Luke

We modern dwellers here in legoland have an unfortunate tendency to think that these guys in Acts were a sort of sanitized biblical superhuman race that never had a bad day. How wrong. They were people who lived in turbulent times where much happened lawlessly despite the occupation of the Empire.

In Acts 21, we see Paul being warned by his fellow believers and companions not to go to Jerusalem because of what they perceived would happen to him there (see verse 12). Paul told them to quit trying to change his mind because he was not only ready to go to Jerusalem, but to face imprisonment or death if need be, so that the Name of Jesus would be glorified. “And since he would not be persuaded, they seemed to mumble dejectedly, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” These people weren’t a bunch of crybabies – they were committed believers. And, oh, by the way, dejectedly, they said the only thing they knew to say: let God’s will be done.

I don’t see people like this around me. I see warm and winsome people but not those who will beg leaders to do what they think is right and get all emotional about it. It says volumes about the modern believer in the west. It says a lot about the modern church in the west. But head on over to most third world countries and see what they have to say about their leaders marching into harm’s way for the sake of the Savior and His Kingdom. Different tune…

Dejection is normal when we can’t have our way, but submission is the cure for dejection; and giving God the glory is the only way to respond to disappointments: thank You Lord, that this isn’t going my way, but Yours. If we get into the habit of glorifying God in our disappointments, it helps us in our trust for Him, and this oft mysterious and misunderstood thing called, His will. Dejection is normal; glorifying Him in the midst of it is not. But one is called for over and above our natural reaction. Can I trust God when it hits the fan in my life? Perhaps our calling is to say: Let the will of the Lord be done!

The lesson for me is trust. Yes, those ancient ones were befuddled by what they saw their pastor and leader doing, but they knew deep down it was the right thing to do and they’d all be the better for it; the Ultimate Leader is God and He never fails, no matter what might happen in Jerusalem (or legoland).

Father, may I learn to trust You when I am dejected and upset over things that don’t go my way. May I trust You and believe beyond the status quo and conventional wisdom. Whether I see it or not – or like it or not, Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever – Amen!