UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WILL: THE INTENTIONAL WILL OF GOD
When my niece, Chris, was seventeen, she was diagnosed with a rare form of juvenile leukemia. After nine years of hundreds of chemo treatments,struggling to complete her nursing degree, wigs, and a bone marrow transplant, Chris died.
To this day, it's hard for me to say that Chris' death was God's will. Oh, I get it that when we pass from this life into the presence of the eternal God that we receive the ultimate healing, and that sometimes, that's the only way healing is going to occur. I get that. But to say that death, violence, war, devastating diseases like leukemia and AIDS, abused, neglected, abandoned and starving children, droughts and floods are the will of a loving God -- really?!?!? I mean -- REALLY?!?!
Lesley D. Weatherhead in his book, The Will of God, writes:
"The phrase, 'the will of God' is used so loosely, and the consequence of that looseness to our peace of minds is so serious ... There's nothing about which we ought to think more clearly; and yet, I sometimes think there is nothing about which men and women are more confused."
In other words, "the will of God" shouldn't be used as a blanket statement without understanding the nature of God's will. Weatherhead talks about three types of God's will: intentional will, circumstantial will, and ultimate will.
God's intentional will is what God ideally intends for human beings. In the beginning, in the garden of Eden, humanity, creation and God were all in a loving, balanced relationship. There was no death and no disease. No strife and no exploitation. No shame and guilt ... until the snake, the apple and a couple of young kids in love upset that harmony and perfection of paradise.
God's intentional will can be temporarily thwarted by the forces of evil and the brokeness of sin. This can occur because of the freedom God gives us to love whom and what we choose to love, and the freedom to follow our own desires and appetites or live out God's rule of love. If we didn't have that freedom of choice, we would just be God's puppets, and God loves us too much for that to be.
So, if intentional will is God's Plan A, circumstantial will is God's Plan B.
Romans 8:28 says, "We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to [God's] purposes."
God is able to bring about good in the midst of and in spite of the circumstances evil and sin have set up.
As the leukemia progressed, we saw God at work in Chris. Her faith in Christ grew and her trust in God deepened. Her life witnessed peace, confidence and courage as her loving, giving nature bloomed. There was no doubt that she left a lasting impression on her family, her friends, her doctors and her nurses.
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
Do NOT confuse the circumstances brought about by evil and sin with the will of God. God did not give Christ leukemia so that her faith grew and she was able to witness to the grace of God. Things like cancer and death happen because this is still a sinful and broken creation where bad things happen to people who don't deserve them! Evil never creates good, but God is able to always work in spite of evil.
So, if I may, I'd like to share with you some things that have helped me when I struggle to understand the will of God.
First, I remember that God is good and that God is love, and it is from that foundation of love and goodness comes God's intentional will for us. Like David in the midst of his own woes and challenges, I recount how God has acted in my life and in the life of God's people in the past. Another lesson David taught me through the Psalms is to be honest about how hard the current situation is. Then I invite God into the circumstance and ask God to work for good and to bring wholeness and healing out of it, according to God's loving will.
God's will for us, whether it's his intentional or circumstantial, is always love and goodness.
To this day, it's hard for me to say that Chris' death was God's will. Oh, I get it that when we pass from this life into the presence of the eternal God that we receive the ultimate healing, and that sometimes, that's the only way healing is going to occur. I get that. But to say that death, violence, war, devastating diseases like leukemia and AIDS, abused, neglected, abandoned and starving children, droughts and floods are the will of a loving God -- really?!?!? I mean -- REALLY?!?!
Lesley D. Weatherhead in his book, The Will of God, writes:
"The phrase, 'the will of God' is used so loosely, and the consequence of that looseness to our peace of minds is so serious ... There's nothing about which we ought to think more clearly; and yet, I sometimes think there is nothing about which men and women are more confused."
In other words, "the will of God" shouldn't be used as a blanket statement without understanding the nature of God's will. Weatherhead talks about three types of God's will: intentional will, circumstantial will, and ultimate will.
God's intentional will is what God ideally intends for human beings. In the beginning, in the garden of Eden, humanity, creation and God were all in a loving, balanced relationship. There was no death and no disease. No strife and no exploitation. No shame and guilt ... until the snake, the apple and a couple of young kids in love upset that harmony and perfection of paradise.
God's intentional will can be temporarily thwarted by the forces of evil and the brokeness of sin. This can occur because of the freedom God gives us to love whom and what we choose to love, and the freedom to follow our own desires and appetites or live out God's rule of love. If we didn't have that freedom of choice, we would just be God's puppets, and God loves us too much for that to be.
So, if intentional will is God's Plan A, circumstantial will is God's Plan B.
Romans 8:28 says, "We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to [God's] purposes."
God is able to bring about good in the midst of and in spite of the circumstances evil and sin have set up.
As the leukemia progressed, we saw God at work in Chris. Her faith in Christ grew and her trust in God deepened. Her life witnessed peace, confidence and courage as her loving, giving nature bloomed. There was no doubt that she left a lasting impression on her family, her friends, her doctors and her nurses.
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
Do NOT confuse the circumstances brought about by evil and sin with the will of God. God did not give Christ leukemia so that her faith grew and she was able to witness to the grace of God. Things like cancer and death happen because this is still a sinful and broken creation where bad things happen to people who don't deserve them! Evil never creates good, but God is able to always work in spite of evil.
So, if I may, I'd like to share with you some things that have helped me when I struggle to understand the will of God.
First, I remember that God is good and that God is love, and it is from that foundation of love and goodness comes God's intentional will for us. Like David in the midst of his own woes and challenges, I recount how God has acted in my life and in the life of God's people in the past. Another lesson David taught me through the Psalms is to be honest about how hard the current situation is. Then I invite God into the circumstance and ask God to work for good and to bring wholeness and healing out of it, according to God's loving will.
God's will for us, whether it's his intentional or circumstantial, is always love and goodness.
Comments
Post a Comment