Thy Will Be Done

What is God’s will? Some people talk about God’s will as an excuse for every tragedy or unfortunate event. Was there an earthquake? Did a volcano wipe out a community? Oh, they’ll moan, it must have been God’s will. Was someone murdered? Did a child die? Sigh. Surrender to God’s will. Did you fail to get a well-earned promotion? Did a spouse betray you? Did a friend stab you in the back? God’s will be done.

Stop. Just stop. These are not examples of God’s will.

I understand how the concept became embedded in the Christian mind. When Jesus was facing crucifixion, he prayed that God would spare him if possible. But, if sparing him wasn’t possible, he prayed that God’s will would be done. Jesus prayed for the strength to do God’s will (Matthew 26:36-46): the strength to endure, the strength to hold fast, the strength to remain faithful to his message and mission in the face of suffering. Jesus’s actual suffering resulted from the will of the people who shouted, “Crucify!” (Luke 23:20–25). The suffering was not God’s will.

So, what was God’s will for Jesus? According to Jesus, “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:39–40).

And, what is God’s will for the rest of us? You can find a list of examples in 1Peter 2:11–17. It includes items such as refraining from “passions of the flesh,” maintaining good conduct, doing good deeds, and respecting legitimate government. The text recommends that its readers live as free people but avoid using that freedom to do evil. It also advocates serving God, honoring others, loving fellow servants of God, and revering God as sacred.

The next verse addresses servants or slaves. Understanding its context is problematic. The advice was written to people who lived within a culture where some people were enslaved, and many contemporary readers wish that the author had taken time to speak against the practice instead of tacitly endorsing it. I find myself among them.

The text acknowledges that doing good sometimes leads to being on the receiving end of suffering. “Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God” (1Peter 4:15–16). God’s will may involve enduring the suffering (1Peter 4:19), but the one who actually wills the suffering is “your adversary the devil” (1Peter 5:8).

There is another misconception regarding God’s will. One specific Bible verse is often misquoted by those who seem to enjoy watching others suffer. The oft-spouted and ill-adapted paraphrase goes like this: “If you love God, everything that happens is good.”

Again, please stop saying this. It isn’t true.

The utterance is intended to implicate Romans 8:28. It doesn’t accurately represent what the verse says. Instead, this altered sentiment implies that you must not love God if you don’t call everything good, irrespective of how bad something truly is. Once, I even heard it used during the funeral of a child who had drowned. The speaker claimed that those who were in right standing with God would look on the calamity and declare that it was good. This insinuation is diabolically twisted.

Let me quote what Romans 8:28 actually says: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.”

Just to prove I’m not cherry picking a translation that can be twisted to prove my point, here are a few other versions:

• “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good* for those who are called according to his purpose (English Standard Version).” *A footnote offers two other renderings of this phrase: “God works all things together for good”; or, “God works in all things for the good”
• “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who* have been called according to his purpose” (New International Version). *A footnote offers these additional possible alternatives: “that all things work together for good to those who love God, who”; or, “that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good — with those who”
• “And we know that God causes everything to work together* for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (New Living Translation). *A footnote offers this alternate reading: “And we know that everything works together”
• “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good* to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (New American Standard Bible). *A footnote explains that one early manuscript can be translated as “all things work together for good”
• “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (King James Version).

Let’s look more closely. In each translated version, even in the alternate footnote readings, everything and all things are not what the verse declares as “good.” All things and everything include good things, bad things, tragic things, and even indifferent things. All kinds of things. Every kind of thing. Things that make God laugh and things that make God cry. All things.

Here’s the miracle of the verse: Out of all these diverse everythings, whether in the face of joy or in the midst of unbearable pain, God chooses to work with people who love God. When this happens, God and God’s people can achieve something good. When people respond to God’s call and seek to fulfill God’s purposes, good things can happen irrespective of the circumstances. Those who love God and who are called according to God’s purpose can choose to be his hands and feet and bring comfort. They can choose to be his ears and listen. They can choose to be his voice and speak words of encouragement.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, in this verse even remotely suggesting that God thinks favorably on inflicting pain. Rather the reverse. The verse suggests that people who love God will seek God’s help so that they can contribute toward something better, something good.

Did a natural disaster cause suffering? Let those who are called according to God’s purpose do good in the aftermath. Did death strike without warning? Let those who are called according to God’s purpose comfort the bereaved. Did life’s circumstances bring woe to an innocent person? Let those who are called according to God’s purpose demonstrate kindness.

God’s will is not the same thing as “whatever happened.” It may be that within God’s eternal realm God knows ends and beginnings in a way that humans do not. The mechanism by which time is reconciled between our earthly domain and the spiritual one, remains a mystery. But the presence of a timekeeping mystery does not indicate that everything that happens is what God would have wanted to happen.

If you’ve been taught that God’s will is the same as “whatever happens,” it may help to look at some Biblical stories that tell about incidents where God’s will was not done.

Let’s start in Genesis. God made Adam. God made Eve. And God told them not to eat the fruit from a certain tree. They ate. (Genesis 2:15–3:19)

Fast forward to Noah’s time. Things were not going well, people were corrupt and wicked. God said he was sorry he had made people (Genesis 6:6–7).

Moses. God speaks out of a burning bush and tells Moses what to do; God specifically tells Moses his will. Moses replies with a series of excuses: But who am I? What’s your name? I need a sign. Public speaking, are you crazy? Finally, “The anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses” (Exodus 4:14a), and God acquiesces to let Aaron do the speaking. It doesn’t sound to me like that was the original plan. God’s will seems to have been modified.

If God’s will could be interpreted as merely being aligned with whatever happened, Jesus would not have needed to instruct his disciples to pray in this way. Instead, praying for God’s will to be done is necessary because, in everyday reality, God’s will is done only sometimes. Sometimes it is not.

For myself, a prayer for God’s will to be done, often brings into focus my own confusion. What does God want? Does God want me to send $100 to ministry A or give it to person-in-need B? Am I supposed to be following the example of the seventy (or seventy-two) people Jesus sent out to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick (Luke 10:1–12) or that of Martha’s sister Mary, who simply sat at Jesus’s feet (Luke 10:38–42). The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes famously declares that there is a time and a season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1–9), so what does God want me to do today? Right now?

In years past, I have begged God to be clear about the details regarding what I was supposed to be doing. I asked for visions or voices, but they didn’t come. I asked for written directions, perhaps even telegrams. Nothing. Yes, of course the Bible is said to contain everything necessary, but it doesn’t work as a guide for specific actions. The Bible tells me to love God and to love my neighbor. It tells me not to commit adultery, not to steal, and not to murder. These general guidelines certainly provide a starting point, but nothing in the Bible says, “Sit next to that woman rather than the other one across the aisle.” Or, “Volunteer next Saturday at the food bank instead of at the medical clinic.” Or, “Write this book instead of something else.”

It seems that Jesus summed up God’s will for everyday life in this way: Love God with your whole heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:25–28). When Jesus’s listener pressed him to define who exactly qualified as a neighbor, Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37). In other words, we aren’t supposed to look for neighbors; we’re supposed to be neighbors. Doing God’s will doesn’t involve following step-by-step instructions. It entails loving God and loving the people he created (that’s all of them).

On the other hand, when I read the Gospel accounts, it seems to me that Jesus had a connection with God that did provide direct, specific instructions. He knew when to tell someone to “Come follow me” (Matthew 4:19) and when to tell someone “Go home” (Mark 5:19). He knew which person to approach and heal at the pool by the Sheep Gate (John 5:2–9). And, when all the disciples were gathered together at the last supper, Jesus knew to whom he should pass the morsel of bread (John 13:26).

I don’t know how Jesus knew these details about God’s will. Perhaps someday, I’ll discover a way to hear God more clearly. So far, the best specific instruction I’ve discovered is this one: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

If my purpose is oriented toward doing God’s will and I am seeking to serve his purposes, God can work through my actions to accomplish good things. God’s will can be done through my hands. Thy will be done.