The Wideness of God's Will

Rediscovering a margin note containing an important lesson

Photo by Tracy Zhang on Unsplash

I was browsing through some old notes from my seminary days and came across this note I have scribbled in the margins of my notes from a Church History course taught by Dr. Floyd Cunningham at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary.

There is some important wisdom here:

God’s will is wider than we imagine…and even though we may fall short God’s call on our life, in God’s infinite knowledge of all that can be known God is able to weave a tapestry of God’s will around the decisions that we, as humans, freely make.

I can confidently say, “God’s got this,” while not at all believing that God controls and determines everything. There is a mysterious interweaving of my decisions with the work of God in my life. God does not coerce or compel me to make poor choices, but when I do, God continues to work all things out for good.

The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that “time and chance” happen to us all (Ecc 9:11). Living in this world is risky. The dangers and pitfalls are many—sickness, natural disaster, famine, poverty, accidents, untimely death, and so much more. In the same way as above, God does not determine every “time and chance” that comes into my life or anyone else’s, but God is able to work for good in and through even the most difficult of circumstances. And we can be confident; Jesus walks with us through these things.

My margin notes continue:

Any person earnestly seeking to live for God cannot leave the will of God without a conscious rejection of God. Instead, in and through the interweaving of God’s sovereignty and human free-will, the choices we make—influenced as they are by the wooing work of the Holy Spirit—become the visible squares of a quilt sewn together by the nearly invisible threads of God.

Life is hard. I sometimes make poor choices. Troubles sometimes come my way. But if my sincere desire through all of that is to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength…and to love my neighbor in the same way I love myself…if I truly desire to live for God…then I cannot leave the will of God. God can, and is, working with nearly invisible threads, weaving together the tapestry of my life, your life, my church, your church, and of those across the globe to become the beautiful handiwork of our Creator God, whose power is above all others, and whose love is unbounded and everlasting.

Amen!

Leave a comment and share your thoughts. Has there been a time in your life when good came from a poor decision? Can you see, in our own life, how God has woven the tapestry of God’s good and perfect will in and among your not-always-good and never-perfect human performance?