God's Will and God's Purpose

Passage: Judges 14:1-4; Acts 16:6-10

People of faith devote endless time and energy to what we call “discerning God’s will”.  At best this means seeking to faithfully invest ourselves in God’s Kingdom in the most faithful way possible.  At worst it means trying to get God to show us the quickest and easiest way to get what we want.  It’s easy to place undue emphasis on “discerning God’s will”. 

Because what we discover, as we study the Scriptures systematically, is that God works his will whether we’re on board or not.  When we’re not on board with God’s will, our lives don’t go that well.  And yet even when we faithfully shape our lives according to God’s express will for us, things don’t always go that well for us personally. 

We find this illustrated in the lives of two characters from the Bible. The first is Samson, whom God calls and equips to rescue his people from their enemies.  In spite of his miraculous calling and extraordinary strength, Samson doesn’t live a particularly godly life.  Ironically, God uses Samson’s flaws and fleshly appetites to accomplish God’s will.  For example, Samson finds a prospective mate among the pagan Philistines – a direct violation of God’s stated law.  He insists, even though his parents object.  Listen to what the narrator says:

His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.

This violation of God’s law actually serves God’s purpose.  However, in the process, Samson’s own life gets pretty messed up, and he suffers tremendous heartache.  Samson’s story ends when he does the one thing God forbade him to do; his great strength is taken away; and he falls into enemy hands.  However, even here, in captivity, Samson strikes a greater blow against the enemies of God’s people than he did when he was free.  God uses Samson’s disobedience for his purposes.  But the collateral damage is Samson’s own life. 

Then we turn to Paul.  He starts his life as Saul, a man utterly opposed to Jesus Christ.  When Jesus comes to Saul and changes his heart, he states, “Saul is my chosen instrument; he will see how much he will suffer on my behalf.”  Paul devotes his life to serving God’s purposes in Jesus.  Paul constantly follows the impulses of God’s Holy Spirit.  This translates into countless adventures; countless changes of plan; and countless hardships.  If Paul were to treat his struggles as evidence that he had strayed from God’s will, he would have given up long before God’s purposes were complete in him.  Ironically, Paul’s life ends in a way similar to that of Samson.  He dies at the hands of the enemies of God’s people. 

So what’s the difference?  Why make an effort to live according to God’s stated will and God’s rules at all?  After all, God will have his way whether we obey or not.

The difference is the state of our hearts.  Samson ends his life in despair.  He kills himself while taking thousands of God’s enemies with him.  But he dies with a deeply held sense of failure and alienation from God.  Paul on the other hand dies with praise on his lips, knowing that no matter what, he is in perfect union with Jesus, his Savior and his God.  Listen to what he writes from a prison cell:

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. (Philippians 1:18-23)

God will have his way with you.  And your life will serve his purposes, whether you shape your life according to God’s rules and principles or not.  You life may seem to go smoothly at times or not so smoothly – regardless of how faithfully you follow God’s way.  Your circumstances are not a reliable indication of whether or not you are following God's will.  What we really hope for is the assurance that God is with you; you are on God’s side; and God is using all the circumstances of your life for his good purposes.  How do you find that assurance?  By shaping your life around God's explicit will, clearly expressed in his written word, the Bible.