"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Luke 12:32-34

When we put ourselves in the Potter's hands, we are submitting to his will. This submission is an act of trust in the Father's love and care for us. That raises the ultimate question; Just what is the will of God?

During the terrible years of World War II, Leslie Weatherhead preached five sermons on understanding the will of God for the congregation at City Temple in London. Eventually these were the basis of a book published by Abingdon press. In this book, Weatherhead examines the will of God from three perspectives, If you have never read this book I highly recommend it.

First, there is his intentional will for our lives. The life of Jesus reveals what that intentional will is. Jesus went around healing the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting the lonely, and even raising the dead. If Jesus was living in the will of God, then we can only conclude that illness, hunger, alienation, and even death are not in the will of God. Jesus 'teachings are essentially a prescription for the unfolding of God's intentional will in each of our lives.

However, God's intentional will is often thwarted by circumstances. Some of these circumstances arise from our own actions, some from the actions of others, and some from random natural disasters. God in his love and wisdom enters this milieu and remakes our lives in what Weatherhead calls God's circumstantial will. If we but put ourselves in the Potter's hands, we can determine that circumstantial will for our lives, even when our gyroscope fails to point the way and we become totally lost.

But, above all, God has an ultimate will for his creation. Weatherhead says that God's ultimate will cannot be thwarted. In the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, he prays, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There is an obvious implication that God's will is not always accomplished here on earth. But it will eventually happen. His kingdom will come and he will reign forever. I am always inspired by that quote from Isaiah, "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."

When we live outside of God's intentional will, we delay the coming of his kingdom into our lives and even into the world. When we fail to live in his will, it then behooves us to seek the circumstantial will of God. By walking again in the footsteps of Jesus, we speed the coming of his kingdom. Then we can rest in the assurance that indeed, God's ultimate will for all his creation will prevail. Isaiah did not qualify his declaration. He didn't say “some” or even “many” knees shall boy. He declared that “every” knee shall bow. The universal nature of this statement is a far cry from the tribal God portrayed in many of the early scriptures.

Prayer: Loving father, you have been faithful to your children. The full realization of your will is only delayed by our pride and our selfishness. We yearn to follow you and to live our lives within your will. Show us the way and walk beside us as we journey through life. Thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.