God’s will is not only His heart desire and His mingling with man, but also the fulfillment of His plan. Generally, we are used to belittling and underestimating the will of God. Many people ask, “Is it God’s will that I go to a certain place today? Is it His will that I seek a doctor for my sickness? Is it His will that I seek this occupation?” We miserable beings can never forget ourselves when we mention the will of God! Nor can we be separated from the trivial matters of life! We always view the will of God from an earthly standpoint, from our present situation, and from ourselves. Actually, none of these trivial matters of life can come up to the will of God! How great and how high is the will of God! God’s will fulfills His eternal plan!
The book of Ephesians reveals to us God’s heart desire and God’s plan. God’s plan in Christ originated from His heart desire. God in eternity had a plan, which He purposed to fulfill. This plan is the will of God. Therefore, the will of God is for the fulfillment of His plan. All the works of God in this universe are according to His will and for the fulfillment of His plan.
Hence, if we want to understand the will of God, the preliminary requirement is that we must know the eternal plan of God. We must be clear concerning what God is going to do on this earth, in this age, and in this locality. When we are clear about these matters, then we are qualified to touch the will of God and ascertain what His will is for us today.
Some brothers and sisters, who are indeed born again and realize that they are God’s children, are ignorant and even unconcerned about what God is doing in this universe, what His economy is on this earth, and what His move is for this day. They themselves, their daily living, and their business as well are all for themselves, not for God. They are completely outside of God’s economy. Yet they pray daily for God’s will in their own living, behavior, and career. Consequently, the result of their inquiry is something of their own will, not God’s will. They neither know nor are they in the plan of God. Any such person has no way of understanding the will of God.
To understand the will of God, the basic problem we must solve is to realize that God, to whom we belong and whom we serve, has a great plan in the universe. He desires a group of people for the building up of the Body of Christ and a corporate man to be the mystical Bride of His Son. Furthermore, we need to know what God would do in our locality. If we touch the plan of God and place ourselves into the plan of God in this manner, we are taking God’s economy as our career. Thus, when we engage in business, teach, or whatever we do, we are for God’s economy; our entire living and all our actions are for His economy. Then we shall have the ground and qualification to touch God’s will and be clear about His guidance regarding all the affairs of our daily life.
Therefore, each one of us should first ask ourselves: Do I clearly see the economy of God on this earth? Do I really see what God desires to do in this locality today? Even though we pursue the growth of life, the fellowship in life, and the presence of the Lord, yet without knowing His economy, these afford us but a little spiritual enjoyment for ourselves and fall short of the will of God.
Before we see the plan of God, though He is in charge of our affairs and our living, we are only under God’s providential care, not under His will. When we have seen God’s plan, we dare not use the term “God’s will” in a light manner. We will not carelessly refer to trivial situations as being God’s will. We can only speak of these matters in general as God’s care for us.
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