Miriam Booth was a brilliant, cultured woman. She had much success serving Christ; however, disease came to her body to the point of death. It was then that she said, “It is wonderful to do the Lord’s work, but it’s greater still to do the Lord’s will.”
What is His will? Often, we think of God’s will as a place or a position to fill. While that certainly can be true, His will sometimes comes in the form of suffering, difficulty, and heartache.
His will may be a season of failing health.
We may experience an illness that we do not understand, and there may seem to be no answer for why it came into our life. We once were able to be at church services, go soulwinning, and serve in various ministries, but now we no longer can do these things. We long to be able to do more, but health prevents us from doing what we once could do.
Paul also had a season of failing health. II Corinthians 12:8-10 says, For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. Paul had a thorn in the flesh which made it difficult for him to do all the things he longed to do. He asked God to remove it. However, God chose not to remove it. His infirmity was something that he had to endure during this time in his life. He could have gotten bitter; however, he chose to depend on God for strength in his weakness and to glory in his infirmity.
His will may be a season of financial struggles.
We may find ourselves in financial hardship through no fault of our own. Everyone feels the strain at the grocery store checkout and at the gas pump these days. Perhaps the bills are paid and essential needs are met, but we long to give more to special church projects, yet lack the extra funds. Realize that God is in control. He has put us where we are for a reason.
The widow in II Kings 4 found herself in a season of financial struggle. II Kings 4:1 says, Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. Her husband had died, and she was in great financial difficulty. She was desperate! The creditor had come to take her two sons to be slaves. We see that she went to the man of God for help. It is always good to seek help from the pastor that God has placed in our lives.
Elisha told her what she needed to do. II Kings 4:2-7 says, And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. In these verses, we see that everything worked out for the widow when she followed Elisha’s advice.
His will may be a season of heartbreak.
God may have called a loved one home to Heaven. Our hearts ache with a longing to see them again. While we must wait to see our loved one, God has given us the blessed promise of Heaven. We can rest in the knowledge that, if they have put their trust in Him, we will see them again one day.
Mary and Martha found themselves in a season of heartbreak. John 11:1-3 says, Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. We see that Lazarus was sick and that they had sent for Jesus; however, Lazarus had died before Jesus arrived. Mary and Martha found themselves in a time of great sorrow. They did not know that Jesus would raise Lazarus from the grave. They mourned during their season of loss.
When what we are experiencing seems hard, we must remember that He will help us and give us strength. God has a purpose for what we do not understand. Just trust Him! Remember that even in the midst of a trial, God is still good. We must never forget to thank Him for what we have and all He has done for us. He will supply our needs, and He cares about us. Remember that God is the God of all comfort. He will comfort us, and He will sustain us. Lean on Him for help in times of sorrow.
Isaiah 55:8-9 says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. His ways are higher than ours. We must trust and surrender our will to Him. He wants to use us for something beyond our understanding.
Psalm 37:23 says, The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Our steps, one by one, are ordered by the Lord. Even our “stops” are directed by Him; He knows when we need to slow down and wait on Him.
While we will never be perfect, we know that our God is always perfect, as is His perfect will for our lives. Let us echo the words our Saviour said to His Father in His own darkest hour in Luke 22:42, …nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
by Teresa Corzine
