My will vs God’s will: Which one is it?

In Christ’s difficult time in Gethsemane, He acknowledged both the strength of His own will and His commitment to God’s: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). For many years I’ve been fascinated by the strength of Christ’s faith in this horrible situation. A fascination that has led me to reconsider the strength of my own faith.

God answered this prayer which Christ made in His agonizing moment by letting His will be done. God subjected His only begotten son to ridicule and shame and allowed the enemies to temporarily prevail against His beloved son because it was His will that salvation should come to humanity through the cross. The task would not have been accomplished had Christ not submitted to the Father’s will.

Positive confession is the practice of saying aloud what you want to happen with the expectation that God will make it a reality. It’s popular among many Christians today who strongly believe that we can bless ourselves with our tongues and reject what we do not want for our lives. Jesus did none of that. He did not reject the cross by “confessing positively.” Rather, He chose to depend on the will of the Father. He expressed His will but ultimately submitted to the Father’s will. Christ’s stance on this is evidence of spiritual maturity. Sometimes God allows difficulties and challenges as part of His will for us. Embracing His will in such a moment is a demonstration of a higher level of faith.

Anyone who wants to live in accordance with God’s will must guard his or her heart and not become bitter and despondent when things are going their way. Believers should learn to obey God's leading even when they are tough and difficult. The Holy Spirit will definitely help anyone who allows the will of God to prevail, just like He helped Christ pass through the Golgotha experience (Hebrew 9:14). Operating outside the will of God and following our hearts is the greatest mistake that we can make as Christians. “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Jesus made it categorically clear that doing the will of God is a condition necessary for entering the Kingdom of Heaven: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Doing the will of God in the most difficult times is an important part of our Christian race. The Apostle Paul tells us to “Walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil...” and to “... be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians. 5:15-17).

May the Lord’s will be done always! May He give us the grace to gladly accept His will as it unfolds in everything we I do. Even when things seem bleak, may we choose to trust Him in all dark circumstances.