free will

The Will of God

Readings for today: Genesis 25-28, Psalm 8

What is the will of God and how do I stay within it? It’s a common question. One I get a lot by virtue of my profession. So many people - especially Christians - want to know what God’s will is for their lives and how they pursue it. At the same time, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about the will of God. Especially when it comes to how God’s will relates to our will. God did not make us robots. He endowed us with the inalienable right to make our own decisions. This is what is commonly known as “free will” and it is very real. Human beings have the ability to make real choices and God holds us accountable for those choices. At the same time, God has made a choice. He has made a decision to love us and love the world in which He placed us and He is at work to bring about the renewal of the world through us. But how does all that work together? How does God’s sovereign will and our free will interact? Where do they intersect? What does that actually look like in real time? Glad you asked…;-)

Think about what we read today. The family of Abraham is a dysfunctional one just like all human families. Abraham practiced polygamy which was common in his day, especially for wealthy men, but it wasn’t wise. It put the inheritance of Isaac in jeopardy so he had to essentially exile his other sons in order to secure Isaac’s position as head of the family. He sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac within the extended family or clan but she is barren thus creating yet another threat to God’s salvation plan. Isaac could have chosen a second wife but instead chooses to pray to the Lord and the Lord opens Rebekah’s womb. But the two children begin fighting before they are even born thus setting in motion a competition that will last most of their adult lives. Jacob steals Esau’s birthright and inheritance. There is favoritism in the family between dad and mom. Esau gets angry and threatens to murder his brother and it appears we may be headed for another Cain and Abel situation. It’s quite a mess and it leaves one wondering if God made the right choice when He chose this family out of all the families on earth to be His chosen people.

Despite the many bad decisions of Isaac and Rebekah and Esau and Jacob, God is faithful. He continues to intervene to keep His sovereign plan on track. He opens Rebekah’s womb. He reaffirms His promise to Isaac and provides miraculously and abundantly for him in the Promised Land. He establishes Isaac at Beer-sheba and meets Jacob in a dream at Bethel. Through it all, God is working His sovereign will in and through and over and among the people He has chosen for Himself. All of Isaac’s decisions - even the sinful ones - are used by God to further His purposes. All of the choices Jacob makes - even the deceitful, manipulative ones - are used by God to accomplish His will and move His salvation plan forward. This doesn’t make their choices any less real nor does it make them any less responsible.

The same is true for us as well. We too make decisions each and every day. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are ugly. Thankfully, God is sovereign. He will bend our decisions to serve His perfect will no matter what and that should give us all hope.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 29-31, Psalm 9