Over the years, on early morning New Years Day runs, I’ve contemplated the dawn of a new year amidst the solitude and serenity.
Proverbs 4:18 states, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”
The desire for God’s will in the days to come is my perpetual prayer on such occasions.
Haddon Robinson explains that the existence of the three wills of God often confuses even the most earnest Christ-follower:
- God’s Sovereign Will – God’s purpose from eternity past to eternity future whereby He determines all that shall occur (Eph. 1:11).
- God’s Moral Will – The Scriptures tell us what God wants us to believe and how God wants us to behave (Ps. 119:97-104).
- God’s Individual Will – While God works out His sovereign will through all men and has revealed to us His moral will, He doesn’t necessarily reveal His specific, individual will to us.
Robinson provides a good exhortation as we approach 2022, emphasizing the importance of repeatedly dedicating ourselves to the glory of God:
In God’s sovereignty, He can work in our choices, through our choices, and in spite of our choices, to accomplish His will.
The Bible is clear that glorifying God is our ultimate goal. But it doesn’t leave us with vague generalities—in achieving that goal, we are given intermediate goals.
God’s direction is clear and unambiguous. We are to act in love and kindness. We are not to be self-serving. We are to have integrity. We are to be faithful and generous. And we are to act out of proper motives. If we apply the characteristics of God’s sovereign and moral will to every decision we make, we will be well on the road to glorifying Him and living a fuller, happier life.
As we begin another year of ministry, our prayer for our program participants is the same for you, our faithful supporters:
- Strength in the Word of God, which is essential to make good decisions;
- Conviction to make Christ-honoring decisions, which often entail hardship and frustration;
- Inspiration in Christ Jesus, who demonstrated that peace and pain-free living can not be proof that we’re in God’s will (Lk 22:41–44).
