Thy WIll, Not MIne
The foundational scripture Psalm 143:10 states, Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. (KJV) The request by the Psalmist David for God to teach him to do His will is a request of one who has a preexisting and trusting relationship with God. It is an ultimate proof of trust. In the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10), Jesus teaches us to pray in the same manner thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven… It is an affirmation that we recognize that there is a relationship between us and God. Not only must we desire Him to do things for us, but we also must do things for Him. The only way to stay on track in faithfulness, loyalty, commitment and consistency is by His Holy Spirit. God’s will is His pleasure, that which pleases Him. For instance, Hebrews 11:6 says, it is impossible to please God without faith; meaning having faith pleases God and it is His will that we have faith and walk in faith. The Psalmist’s request for God to teach him to do His will connotes a student (lesser) & teacher/professor (greater) relationship; one knows more than the other- one who is ignorant and another who is enlightened; structure or an organized system of imparting knowledge from one to the other. Teaching also means there is a way of evaluating the successes, or otherwise the lessons, and these come through tests. As expected in a teaching relationship, there is an authoritative text or manual for imparting knowledge, usually a preexisting body of knowledge on the subject matter. Our manual is the Bible which contains the will and mind of God. This manual contains God’s commandments which show us His will. Keeping His commandments is a sure sign of our love for Him and He also delights in us. John 14:21 Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.As we grow in our walk with God, we will see a deeper need to do what God wants. David made this request in Psalm 143:10 because he had gotten to a certain deeper and intimate level in his walk with God. God had moved from being his God to his Lord and then his shepherd (Psalm 23:1). As the relationship developed, David longed for nothing more than to do the will of God, thus his request to be taught. The apostle Paul also spoke about the importance of doing God’s will and shed some light on what God’s will entails. He wrote in Romans 12:1-2, 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. In this scripture, we glean that God’s will is not only good, but acceptable as well as perfect. We also have a will though, but we must seek to bring it in conformity with God’s will. Good, perfect and acceptable describes His will, His pleasure. It is the perfect, predetermined resolution of God; His prescriptive preference. Perfect will seeks no alternative to it; surely it will come to pass. His permissive speaks also of His sovereign will & what He will allow. God can change it when we cry to Him, for example Jesus at Gethsemane, though He submitted to God’s perfect will. Your commitment & fulfillment of God’s will and pleasure is a sure sign of the depth of your relationship with him. His will is an extension of His grace, what he wants us to do and what He will allow. We know the will of God through the Word (Bible)- with the help of the Holy Spirit-, through having a deeper relationship with Him– seeking deeper revelation/intimacy-, and building your spirit man-capacity.Doing the will of God is the only way we can please him. His will is not hidden; God reveals His will for all of us, His children, in His Word and the closer we walk with Him the more He will reveal His specific will for each of us. Ephesians 5:17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.Shalom