Good morning…
As we gathered for communion in a small church in the woods, the pastor extended gentle words of invitation: “The will of God is the way of life, and we want to get all wrapped up in it.” Jotting the sentence in my bulletin, I return to the statement now.
If the will of God is the way of life, I ask, “LORD, what is Your will for me right now?”
I ask.
I wait.
I listen.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Our God goes on to explain. “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
What might God’s organic growth look like in my everyday life? “You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love” (Isaiah 55:8-13, NLT).
Our lives sometimes feel overrun by thorns, surrounded by stinging nettles, but in these places of persistent pain, God promises, “Trees will grow, flowering plants will sprout up.” Eventually we will live in joy and peace, high hills and low fields will burst into song and trees will clap wildly, as all creation celebrates new life. Unmistakably God, the living Word will generate great glory. Our Creator’s power and love will prosper in our ordinary lives, surely, over time.
If the will of God is the way of life, do I really want to get all wrapped up in it?
If not, why not?
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it” (Isaiah 30:15, NIV).
What might happen if I say today, “Yes, LORD, I want to get all wrapped up in Your life-giving will?”
…Sue…
