God's Will [My First "Real" Post]

I chose a heavier topic for my first "real" post, but hey, might as well dive in wholeheartedly, right? I have two reasons I'm posting it now. First, because I've been curious about what others think. Second, because I am excited about my new blog, haha. With that said, let's look at what I wrote a little before my speech and debate tournament at Concordia :)

Do you know the history of Martin Luther? What do you know about him? In my study for one of my speeches (yeah, nerd status), I learned a little more about this guy. For example, I think God makes His will pretty clear that he wanted Luther to be a monk -- like, so clear that lightning nearly strikes him! Oh wait, that is what happened. Apparently, Luther was already thinking about becoming a monk. But at the time, he was attending law school. On his walk home from class one day, a lightning struck so close to him that his body was thrown to the ground by the pressure. In response, Luther, out of exasperation, cries out, "I'll become a monk!" So, how is this relevant to you? How is it relevant to me? How does this apply to anyone?

How often do you pray for God's will? I'll assume often. I'm almost always searching for Him (and when I'm not, let's just say things don't look so hot for me). Many times, I pray to make God's will as clear to me as it was with Luther. I'll literally be like, "I need something as clear as a smack in the face. I'd rather be slapped and know than recieve chocolate in the shape of bunnies and not know Your will." In other words, I ask for a slap in the face. After all, if I ask, it will be given; if I seek (Him), I'll find (Him); if I know, then the door will open for me. Why? Because anyone who asks, recieves; whoever seeks, finds; whoever knocks, will find an open door (Matthew 7:7-8). But wait, if all this is true -- which it is -- then why don't I always see God's will?!

God's action for Luther to become a monk makes it clear to me that God had a plan and purpose for him. If so, maybe it's good He does not always make His will as clear to me as He did for Luther. Today, scholars after scholars study and reflect on Luther's life. Does He have a plan for me? Absolutely. Do I know what it is? Absolutely not (if I did, it'd be like checkmate on the first move). What if many, many years from now -- when I'm long dead, sitting in my grave and disintegrating (lovely, I know :) -- someone discovers my writings, such as my journals and, dare I say, blog posts? XD If God makes His will clear to me -- as clear as lightning -- then it's pretty obvious God wants me to take action, right? I think so. And if he doesn't make His will that clear to me, and I make a decision based off of what I think is God's will, then that leaves scholars to debate my choice. Actually, anyone could read my writings and wonder if I made a good decision or not. As one pastor told me, a lot of times, God probably just wants us to actually make a decision (within reason, as in not sinning haha). Even 1 Kings 18:21 begs the question, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him." Yeah, I regret a lot of things I've done. Yeah, I wish I could fix a lot of things I've done. But can I change those things? No; only be forgiven. But when it's Jesus, that's enough, and He's able to work through all my mistakes.

In conclusion ............... I think God has His reasons for not spelling out His will to me sometimes. I don't think I'll ever completely understand. I do have a few hunches though. One, in my opinion, I think He likes to spice up our lives sometimes. Second, God proves His almighty and righteous side by going, "I'm WAY bigger than you or ANY of your desires. If you recieve anything, remember, it's from ME, the big guy. Don't you dare forget. But I love you, more than You'll ever comprehend, so I want to bless You as much as my plan allows." Lastly, He wants us to fix our focus. When we ask God, "what's your will for me?" or "what's your plan for me?" it is more often than not a selfish act. In reality, I'm just a stupid, impatient creature sometimes. I'll demand, "God, I want an answer. I'm tired of waiting around. All I want to know is if this is the right direction. Can't you just give me a sign?" and He's saying, "Girl, can't you just give me a break? Love me; be content with just Me, your Father. I've got a plan; don't You worry about it."

Props to you if you read this whole thing btw. I don't know if I would have hahaha :) if you have more time -- in other words, you're bored enough to read more -- you can read this article too, titled, "Weighing God's Yes and No": http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2007/01/weighing-gods-yes-and-no.html Great article.

~Your Negative Exhorter