A Question of Will: Thin Ice or Firm Foundation?

A few years ago a friend whose son had a very bad type of cancer. The father was a believer and like any father he wanted more than anything else for God to heal his son.

A committed believer and church member, he was also involved in a men’s group where some well meaning Christians convinced him that God wanted to heal all who are sick. Not only that, they encouraged him to “hear” from God about his son. So he prayed.

Now, prayer’s not a bad thing, is it? Of course not. But what is the basis of prayer? Is it our desires or is it God’s will? What did Jesus say in Matthew 6 – what we commonly refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer”. You know that line that says “Thy will be done”?

Yet Jesus also said, “Ask what you want and it will be given to you”, right? So which is it? God’s will or my will? Or can it be both?

As a result of his prayer he was convinced that God told him his son would be healed. And with that thought he became really positive about his son getting better. After all, he believed God had showed him in a dream or something, I guess, that things were going to work out OK and that his son wouldn’t die.

What’s the basis of your faith; your prayers? Is it right to trust your own understanding and hope that your feelings are God given? What if they’re not? Can’t we convince ourselves that God has spoken? That God has revealed something to us? That we’re praying in God’s will when maybe we’re not?

One of the old Gospel songs I grew up with was “Standing on the Promises of God”. You probably remember that song, too. But if not, the words talk about standing on the promises of God that cannot fail.

Paul wrote these words to Titus: “This truth gives them the confidence of eternal life, which God promised them before the world began—and he cannot lie.” He cannot lie means He always is truthful; always faithful to His Word and His promises. And His promises to us are found in His Word.

My friend’s son died. When I heard the news I went to see him and he was crushed. It wasn’t the normal grief a father would have (I’m not sure normal is the right word), it was grief compounded by both the loss of his son and his faith.

The problem my friend had was that his wishful thinking became a substitute for God’s Word in his circumstance. His faith in believing that his son would recover and live wasn’t really faith in God’s Word, it was faith in his own desires; in his own will – not that there was anything evil or wrong with those desires. But apparently his son’s healing was not in the will of God.

I know that there are some who disagree with that last statement. They’ll say, “But when he arrived in heaven he was healed!” But (hypothetically), what if he didn’t get to heaven? Or they’ll argue that “It’s always God’s will for people to be healed.” Then please explain funeral homes to me. We live in an unredeemed body and physical death is a reality. Sorry, death is the result of no healing. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

It was very sad when he asked me why God would go back on His promise. So I explained to him that it couldn’t have been God who spoke to him about his son living, because God is faithful. God never makes a promise He doesn’t keep. God’s Word is as good as gold. You can take it to the bank.

Sometimes I’ve been guilty of doing the same thing as my friend – convincing myself that what I want is what God wants. But that’s thin ice if we’re going to stand strong as men and women of God. The best place – the only sure foundation - for us to stand is on His Word.

Does that mean I shouldn’t pray for God to give me the desires of my heart? No. Of course not. Especially if there is nothing in your desires that violates God’s Word. But sometimes for our good and for the good of the big picture we can’t see, God doesn’t give us what we want. Our understanding is limited. Our desires can be flawed. But His will never is. And if He doesn’t answer your prayer the way you want, don’t get mad. It just means that the way He wants is going to be better somehow in the long run.