Day 68
Thy Will Be Done
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,
but have not love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:3
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hen we follow the Lord’s way to
freedom, we don’t have to adopt a self-improvement program or make vows to do
more and do better. As Christians we have only one thing to remember: seek His
kingdom and righteousness first, and then everything else will fall into place.[i]
God’s way is love, and as we learn of His love for us, we are enabled to love
one another.
But we are afraid of the cost of loving others more than
ourselves. Weariness is a constant battle, and the busy pace of our lives works
against our heartfelt desire to move into deeper communion with God. Part
of our hesitation to surrender all to the Lord has to do with the fear of having
schedules imposed upon us by another--even the divine Other--along with a dread
of having our physical and material resources exhausted in ways we can’t
control. A journey to freedom often consists of a real tug of war between our
own wishes and what we believe the Lord's desires for us may be. When we
finally capitulate and are able to say, “Thy will be done,” we find peace. We
then find ourselves walking calmly but perhaps not happily toward a future we
can't yet see, but it is a relief to no longer be struggling against the Lord. The
resigned acceptance of Esther's words when she agreed to go before King
Xerxes comes to mind, "If I perish, I perish."[ii]
And Job's words,
"Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him."[iii]
So on we go, calm
inside yet uncertain of what God has in mind for us. However, once we release
all to Him, a significant battle has been fought and won; we will go where God
leads in confidence that He is able to strengthen us as we go or catch us when
we fall. And meanwhile, we can be encouraged as we remember that despite
the glum statements both made when they were under duress, Esther did not
perish and Job was not slain.
Pray: Lord, I want to
love You first and best, and I want to love others with Your love. I confess I
am afraid of the cost, but I don’t want to turn back from this path You’ve
placed before me, because I’m confident You are there, and I want to be with
You where You are. Work in my desires Lord, work in my heart to accomplish Your
perfect will for those You’ve called me to serve and also for me. It is through
Your perfect love that loved me first that I am able to pray, Thy will be
done. Amen.
~~~
For
the mountains may depart
and
the hills be removed,
but
my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and
my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says
the Lord, who has compassion on you
Isaiah 54:10
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