Lord Willing?!

Following up on my last blog article (“Taken For Granted”), I have been thinking about all of the uncertainty that exists in the world. Officials and people from Norway are dealing with a terrorist bomb attack and campground shooting that to date has reportedly killed at least 76, with many more wounded. A high-speed rail train accident in China has killed at least 39. Lockouts in sporting events, like the current situation with NFL football leave many wondering whether these games will go forward this fall (though word today is that the conflict there is resolved). Millions of people in the U.S. and around the world are wondering and seriously worrying about what will happen with the debt obligations that America has and how this will impact each of us in the coming days, weeks and years (the recent record breaking gold prices reveal this economic concern as well). The U.S. Stock Market and other economic markets around the world react to all the latest news and world events, leading to volatility in the markets and much loss in investments. What can we really count on? How do we know if we will be able to continue in our current way of financially living or even be at peace from further crimes and terrorist attacks? Perhaps we should be more cautious about what we often take for granted. Perhaps, and most certainly, we should be careful to qualify what we say and do by recognizing our dependence upon GOD. Our attitude should be, “Lord willing!”

Indeed, we are often a proud and even rebellious people (c.f. Psalm 78:8). While we do maintain a measure of control over things in our life, we ultimately control very little (see my 05-01-08 article “It Is ALL about CONTROL!”). We should not be so sure that things will always be the way we think they will be. Yes, we can plan and we should, but our plans are subject to the Sovereign Hand of Almighty God, Who Created this Universe and Who has Control over it! We must acknowledge the problems in this world and in our own lives. We must learn to say or at least have the attitude that if the Lord is willing, we will be able to accomplish a particular goal or see a certain thing come to pass.

You might ask, just what is the Lord willing to do? After all, look at the mess that the governments around the world are in. Look at the number of earthquakes and natural disasters that occur around the world every day. Look at the way people suffer from hunger and physical pain or oppression. Why doesn’t God do more to intervene? Many come to think that God is either not so good, in that He allows all kinds of suffering and tragedy, or else He is not so powerful, in that He does not fix all of the problems that we have. Some even resort to a more Deistic philosophy and say that while it is clear that some Higher Being Created us and this Universe, this Being must not be too involved in His Creation. This is another way people become derailed in understanding the meaning of life and God’s will for their life. I discuss this problem of evil and suffering with much greater detail in the second part of my book detailing my personal tragedy stemming from the 04-16-07 Virginia Tech Tragedy and the lessons we all need to be learning. God willing, 😉 I will see Him use this and my own life story to bring about much good as I have petitioned and am trusting Him to do!

Friend, please seriously consider God’s will and what the LORD is willing to do in your own life. Do not fall into the trap of thinking somehow that the world revolves around you or even this great Country of America. Consider the sobering words of Christ’s Apostle and the early Church leader, James, in James 4:13-16: “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” The Lord is willing as you will!