The Will of The Father
This week the Lord has been dealing with me on just surrendering to His will and His plan for my life. This topic in itself is one that is multifaceted, but one aspect stuck out to me in the midst of this…
His plan is the best because of who God is!
As a freebie, in the book of Genesis, when the Lord created the world and everything in it, He introduces Himself as Elohim, the Creator. Like anything that is created in the natural world, there holds a purpose to its creation. Hence the Ultimate Creator, created us with a purpose that was established before we were even in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). As Creator, He knows what that purpose is and what it entails, the creation (us) can not know what that purpose is without understanding the intent of the Creator (God), forfeiting the intent of the creation itself. Imagine a screwdriver telling its creator that its intent is to function as a wrench instead… it does not change the fact that the screwdriver was made specifically to screw screws.
However, I do caution you that yes you can abandon the will of the Lord because we have a free will, but I pray this devotion will draw you closer to His will regardless of the circumstances. To adopt the mindset of Queen Esther, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16).
Let's look at a story in Numbers chapter 22 verses 22 through 35:
22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have [e]abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”
30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever [f]disposed to do this to you?”
And he said, “No.”
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out [g]to stand against you, because your way is perverse[h] before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”
34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it [i]displeases You, I will turn back.”
35 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Just for some context, the verses before verse 22 tell the story of the king of Moab, Balak who saw how powerful the Israelites were and how they could not be defeated (because the Lord made it this way). Balaam was known for his spiritual abilities (which were from the Lord and not on his own account), so Balak sent for him to come and curse the Israelites so they could be driven out of the land. However, the Lord instructed Balaam that he could not curse the Israelites because they were a blessed people. When Balaam shared this information with Balak’s men, they kept coming back with a more enticing offer than before, still expecting Balaam to come see Balak and curse the Israelites. Finally the Lord allowed Balaam to go see Balak, but he was to speak only what the Lord told him. But the Lord knowing the intent of our hearts (Proverbs 21:2, Jeremiah 17:9-10) knew that Balaam’s reasoning for meeting Balak did not align with the will of God so He sent an obstacle in his way.
Let me ask you this. Have you ever been in Balaam’s shoes? And the Lord redirected you and you got mad and angry instead of seeing that it was a demonstration of the Lord’s love and mercy that He has for you? I know I have. So ready to take out the donkey instead of realizing that it was keeping me from the path that ultimately led to death.
Not only do I see myself in Balaam’s shoes, but I see the Lord in the donkey’s. Check out verses 28-30. The donkey took three blows from Balaam and still protected him from being taken out by the angel. The donkey also reassured Balaam of her track record and how she has yet to hurt him up until this point, which was necessary to save his life.
Imagine the times where you have been hard-headed with the Lord. Thinking you know what is best for your life like you are able to see the full scope. Like the donkey was able to see what was unseen to Balaam, so does the Lord because He is in our present, past, and future (Jeremiah 23:23-24). See like the donkey, we have to remind ourselves of the Lord’s track record. The Lord is our Abba, our father (Romans 8:15). He cares for us. The moment we become His children through accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior and living like it, we are adopted in His family (John 1:12, Romans 8:17). With Him there is a sense of security and knowledge that allows us to trust in Him solely because of who He is (1 Corinthians 1:9).
Like Balaam, I had to realize that the Lord’s sovereign plan; the reason He does what He does is NECESSARY even if it hurts and is something unexpected because He knows more than what we can fathom (Isaiah 55:8-9). It is not His will for anyone to perish, so He will do whatever is necessary to restore us back to Him…even if it means running us off the road and crushing our feet (2 Peter 3:9).
Let me tell you a few additional things about God’s Will that this passage reminds me of:
One, that delay does not mean denial. Balaam was still able to go to Balak but just on the Lord’s terms (Numbers 23-24). You see, surrendering to the way the Lord would have us do things does not mean that our lives are over or that we will no longer achieve anything. I’m learning that heeding to His way actually allows us to live and for our life to truly begin (Ephesians 2:1-5)!
Two, the Lord is gracious in all His mercy that He will give us the opportunity to redirect ourselves. He will never let us go astray without giving us the option of turning around (because ultimately it is a choice). Let's look at Balaam’s case. The Lord sent the donkey. If it was not for the provisions the donkey made, it would have been over for Balaam. Balaam would have been done, look at what the Angel said in verse 33. You see, the Lord will not let anyone leave this earth without having the opportunity to hear Him and turn from their ways (2 Peter 1:3). This is because the Lord’s love for us is not predicated on our actions, it's a selfless love. Nothing can separate us from His love which includes Him chastising and correcting us (Romans 8:38-39, Hebrews 12:6).
Brothers and sisters, I implore you to remember the Lord’s plan is perfect because of how perfect and all knowing our Father is (Romans 12:2, Psalm 18:30).
Prayer for Surrender:
Lord, I thank You for the will and the perfect plan that You have assigned to my life. I thank You that You are trustworthy and The Perfect God Who has made everything beautiful in its time. I ask for forgiveness for my disobedience and selfishness of choosing my ideas for life over Yours. I ask that You come into my life and make my crooked paths straight. Help me understand the calling that you have placed on my life. Help me be comforted by Your plan and Your way. Help me recognize your will in my life.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Prayer of Repentance and Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sin and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Teach me how to take up my cross daily and submit to Your way.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Song Rec:
Come and Move (feat. Joe L Barnes, Mariah Adigun & Ryan Ofei) | Maverick City Music | Tribl
Go in Peace