I've been thinking recently about the question "Do I
really want to know the Will of God?" It's easy to answer "yes" on an impulse, but when you think about it a little more, it starts to get a bit more difficult. What if God's will is that I become a martyr for the Faith? Or what if He wants me to be celibate my entire life? There are all sorts of things that, if I somehow got a certified comminique from on high, I really don't want to see. If I don't know what God wants, it's easy enough just to go on blissfully ignorant. And when I stand before the throne of judgment and God asks "Why didn't you ...?" I can honestly reply "What's that you say? I really didn't know that!"
But that's not how God deals with us. It's clear that God has plans for each of our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). More than that, I believe we can indeed know at least fragments of this plan (James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him"). And if we know what God's Will is, we must do it: Jesus taught in John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." and later in verse 24, "Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me." So indeed, we do hear word from God, and loving God entails keeping these words.
Now comes the hard question: what if God tells me something I don't want to hear? This is certainly quite possible. How many Biblical servants heard words from the Lord they didn't want to hear? Think about Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea. More recently, Jesus, Peter, and Paul. What God wanted for their lives is not necessarily what was most pleasant or what they would have wanted in the absence of God's Spirit working in them. So what motivated them? How did they die to themselves so that God would work through them? Jeremiah tells us (20:9) "But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." God didn't give him any other option. But more often, this is not the case. Paul speaks of running the race so as to recieve the prize, of disciplining his body, and even still he struggled (Romans 7). Scrambling the verses a little for readability,
By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back."
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had the opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
-- Hebrews 11:17-19,13-16
A few things come out from this passage. First of all, that faith was the key motivation: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). This thing which they hadn't seen was to them better than anything this world has to offer, and they would gladly sacrifice anything in the world to attain it. The author of Hebrews goes on to say (12:1-2) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
God gives us glimses of this hope. Revelations 4 is an amazing picture of the twenty-four elders and four living creatures worshipping before the throne of God, casting their crowns before it. Elsewhere we're told that there will be 100 million angels worshipping in that day. And Reveleations 19-22 tells of the marriage feast, and the new heaven and new earth and new Jerusalem. Isaiah gives pictures of heaven as well. And at the center of all of this is the thone, of which it is said "The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne" (Revelations 3:23). Our love relationship with Jesus is that intimate that we'll sit with him on his throne.
I know in my head that this is clearly better than anything on earth, real or imagined. I pray for that last 10 inches, that I will become more and more fully convinced of this in my heart, counting all things as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord (Philippeans 3:8).
