In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11)
When I drive north to Scotland I turn right, and head south to Ross-on-Wye. All the time I’m driving I am getting further from the grey granite of Aberdeen, but my Sat-Nav insists that this is the quickest way to the border. Head south to the M50, and then it’s motorway most of the way. It might be fewer miles to trundle up the A49, but you have to deal with the traffic in Hereford. And tractors. And that level crossing at Onibury. No, better to go south to the M50 first.
The Westminster Confession of Faith speaks of God “working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will”. It might well be that God’s will is beyond our fathoming, and that we seem to be heading in the wrong direction but if God is God (and he is) then we will get there just as he intends. The absolute, sovereign, creator God completes what he wills.
That is not to say that in the process we are steamrollered, and are reduced to mere robots. No, our wills are involved but it is just that God works at a deeper level. Our wills inevitably align with his overall purpose. It’s often the case that you can see the activity of God most clearly in retrospect. As you live your life you are convinced you are in control, but as you look back you realise God was there all along.
To have this confidence in God’s will is something which will keep you going through the darker turns of life. Rather than just fatalism, it is knowing that you are being shepherded by a God who both loves you and sent his son to die for you. The prevailing will of God is the most wonderful thing.
