When people talk about the will of God, it is often in association with negative developments. When we are hard hit by a stroke of fate, we might say, “Oh well, it was the will of God.” When our prayers are not granted, we often think: “The things we requested in our prayer must not have been in accordance with the will of God.”
For many, the statement “Your will be done” in the Lord’s Prayer means subordinating to the will of God and having to do without something as a result. We bow before the will of God—even though we would rather have had a different outcome.
But what is the will of God anyway? Is it that we should suffer from some twist of fate? That we should never find the right partner in life? That we should have to fight for every penny on earth because our wish for a great job will never be fulfilled? No! The will of God is rooted in His plan of salvation and redemption. God wants us to be with Him. Among other things, Jesus made this clear in His intercessory prayer: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me” (John 17: 24). Jesus Christ, who is God, wants us to live in eternal fellowship with Him. This is not some condition that we must grudgingly accept, but rather a wonderful offer to which we can agree with our whole heart!
Food for thought from a divine service by the Chief Apostle