What Is The Will Of God?

Many look at the appalling circumstances in the world and wonder if God cares or is doing anything--where is God? We may not know where God is, but we can conjecture the whereabouts of the devil who is acting within the permissive will of God, getting His divine approval on everything as God's servant (and vessel of dishonor). John Wesley used to read the daily paper to find out what God was doing in the world. One must distinguish the different aspects of the will of God. The decreed or secret will of God is unknown until it happens and is none of our business. "The secret things belong to the LORD our God..." (Deut 29:29). The so-called preceptive will of God is what we seek according to God's Word and we can know it. The first English Bible translator John Wycliffe had a tenet: "All things come to pass of necessity." The Westminster divines in 1646 said that everything that happens is decreed to take place: "God ... doth uphold, direct, dispose and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence..." All is going according to divine plan; there is no plan B.

God is in absolute full control of His universe (there is not one stray, maverick molecule even) and is not limited by our so-called free wills. The will of God is different from the blind kismet of Muslims who just resign themselves to their fate and say: "It is the will of Allah." God has a reason for everything that happens and He "makes everything beautiful in His time." (Cf. Eccl. 3:11)   "No one can stay His hand or say to Him: 'What have You done?'" (Dan 4:35). There is the permissive will of God that Satan got to do to Job and God allowed him to do his will with divine permission and under God's superintendence and oversight.

We are to seek the good, perfect and pleasing will of God (per Rom. 12:2) as believers and not presume on God or test Him. Some say like Doris Day sang: "Que Sera, Sera" (what will be, will be). Some say they will do what they want and "Let the chips fall where they may." It is a fact of Scripture that God works through the most diabolical actions like the crucifixion (Acts 2:23 says, "Jesus,[was] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God." Acts 4:28 says, "[this was] to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place [the crucifixion]").

It is personified or called Providence because God orchestrates history (which is His story). We have the power but not the right to thwart God's preceptive will but God sovereignly controls the outcome as He wills for His glory in His decreed or secret will.   Soli Deo Gloria!