The Road to You

At some point in my life I decided that for someone to pray that “God’s will be done” meant they had given up on asking for what they wanted, and they were now resigned to “the Lord’s will.” The Lord’s will prayers sounded sad, ominous, and even as if death and destruction would be imminent. I did not want anyone praying for God’s will to be done to me. Why would I ask for everything I desired from God and then tag on a scary sounding, “Your will be done” at the end like a loop hole for answered prayer when things don’t go the way I want. It was as if the Lord’s will would always be opposite what I wanted. Tagging that on the end of my prayer would mean if I didn’t get what I desired in a situation then I would say to myself “Well, it was the Lord’s will.”

Have you had that same experience? Have things gone “wrong” and people have said things to you like, “It was the Lord’s will.” Is that phrase is supposed to make you be ok with loss, death, illness or anything you wouldn’t have prayed for?

When the good things happen we call it a miracle, and when bad things happen we declare it must have been “the Lord’s will.” I just can’t get on board with that thought process. If every good and perfect thing is from the Lord above, then His will must not include everything I’m scared of and wish to never experience.

I’ve now been alive for 38 years. I have experienced a good bit of overwhelming fear, I’ve experienced grief, depression, and I have lost some people I prayed I wouldn’t lose. I did not in my grief, fear, and sadness find comfort in the thought of my pain being the Lord’s will. Instead, I drew strength to continue from the thought that my good God can bring good from bad, light from dark, and life from death. I called out to Him saying, “I know you to be better than what I’m experiencing right now, and I’m counting on you to use my pain to one day bring comfort to others experiencing this same type of pain. I beg for you to give me strength when I want to quit, and for the time spent in this valley to bring about beauty and growth that wouldn’t have come about in any other way.”

I am now not scared of God’s will because although I know I will experience hard and undesirable things at times, those things aren’t “God’s will for me.” Instead, they are part of the human experience in a broken world. God’s will is good, desirable, and the same will a loving mother or father has for a child they love with all their heart. As a mother I cannot protect my child from all pain and sadness. However much I wish that I could do that, my actual job is to walk with them through the valleys, and to show them the way back to the light and life that a mountain top contains. That’s very similar to what our loving Father does for us. He doesn’t shield us from all pain, and loss, but He does walk with us through the pain and loss. He doesn’t leave us alone, He has the power to bring good from all that aimed to destroy us, and that is His will for you! He intends to bring you home to Him where you will live in a pain free, tear free eternity, that too is His will.

Don’t be scared to pray for God’s will be done in your life. Be excited. Be expectant. Pray for your heart to align with what He is doing in your life.

Just recently I rocked a little one, I looked at the newborn face and thought, “Wow, I don’t want to hurt when you leave.” A tear formed in my eye. I didn’t stay in the place of wow-this-is-going-to-hurt. Instead I followed that thought with a prayer, “God help me to see what you are doing in this life, and to be excited to be part of your plan. Thank you that this child is here. Thank you for giving me a front row seat. You don’t have to use me, but you do. Thank you! You are so kind to me God.”

Just like that, peace started to flow over me. Instead of letting anxiety and fear wash over me like I have before, I let my faith in God remind me that He is good and no matter what His will is in this little life it will be good for both of us. If I get hurt and I have to say goodbye, I’ve been there before, and every single time what God had in store was better than my plan. Every single time, the goodbye was what was best for all of us. Every single time, God was with me. Every single time, I was a better version of myself when God’s will reigned supreme.

Now I ask you, do you trust Him? Will you try to? The stories of old are still happening. God protected Daniel from lions, but He has protected me from rapest, murderers, angry and hurting parents, from overwhelming grief, from thoughts of suicide, from more than I was even aware of I’m sure. The stories of old are recorded so that we know who we are putting our faith in. I aim to record the stories of right now, so you can see your God is worth you placing your trust in. He hasn’t changed. You just aren’t seeing and hearing all the stories of how He is still at work.

I’ve seen Him with my own eyes, time after time, and I am here to tell you, Trust Him! You will not regret it. There is so much more life to be lived, experienced, and enjoyed when you live inside God’s will.

I call on the stories of old (in the Bible, in books with stories of missionaries, and others who have dedicated every bit of their life to the God they place their trust in) to remind me I have nothing to fear when I ask for God’s will to be done. If what you are experiencing is hard and painful that experience is not God’s will. His will is what He will do with you and that experience that will change your life and the lives of others, until the day He can bring you home unto Himself in that pain and tear free eternity He always desired for you. His will is restoration, wholeness, and redemption. His will is full of peace in chaos, and joy in extreme circumstances. His will is good.

We will all experience hard losses, and hurts. Those experiences are not a sign of God’s lack of love for you. They are a only a sign that you haven’t made it to your heavenly home yet. Offer it all to God, and wait and see what He will do with you and every hard thing you have experienced. It will blow your mind! You will experience things others will never experience and you will smile until your cheeks hurt.

How do I know this? I’m living it. My cheeks hurt from the goodness of God. I’m experiencing things I’m not sure anyone else has experienced. My mind is blown. I’m seeing God with my very own eyes. I love the stories from the days of old, but I love what happened in my life yesterday just as much!

I want this for you.