war of wills

Most of the time when I go to the gym, I'll put on a specific workout mix on my ipod.  I'll crank up the tunes and block out the sounds of all those around me.  If I'm there with friends, I'll talk to them and catch up on the day.  Sometimes, when I'm working really hard I take my headphones out of my ears and stare blankly ahead, focused on a spot in the middle distance. 

It's not often that I'll listen to a sermon while on the machines...but last night that's just what I did and it was a perfectly timed message, one that I needed to hear.  A friend recommended a sermon series from a church he used to attend back in NY state.  The pastor is preaching through the Lord's Prayer and the message I listened to as I plugged away on the elliptical last night was on the section "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven." 

He spoke about how God is in control, ultimately, and is ruler of heaven and earth but Satan is the prince of this world.  God doesn't smite us and send ravaging tornadoes...Satan does.  God knows that in the midst of the hurt and pain He will be glorified.  It is somehow in His will. 

The pastor then moved on to specifically talking about His will for our lives.  How many of us are actually willing to truly and utterly pray that God's will be done in our lives?  In all honestly, I pray that God's will might align with my will...because obviously I know more about my life than God does.  (sarcasm...)  There are things in my life right now that I am begging God to reveal His will in...but am I really ready for what that may entail?  Am I ready to fully accept what His plan for my life is?  Really?  I'm not so sure...

In Proverbs 3:5-7 it says "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil."  I know what I want out of life.  I know what would make me happier, successful, on the right path...or do I?

In Romans 12:2 Paul writes, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will."  Not MY good, pleasing and perfect will....His. 

It's hard, this submitting to what God has in store for me and harder still (for me, anyway) that I don't get it in the form of, oh say, a road map.  You know, pointing out where I should go and the easiest, safest, most unchallenging way to get there.  Instead, in the process, most often in hard, challenging and sometimes not-so-safe ways, He makes us more like Christ.  Redefines and reshapes us into the people He wants us to be.  It hurts but it's good.  Running analogy:  Training is painful, but in the end the rewards I reap are good.  Becoming more like Christ is good and what I was put on earth to do.  That, in the most basic sense, is God's will for my life. 

Let me end by sharing with you a prayer spoken by a New York Yankee's baseball player back in the 50's: 

Dear Lord, Your will.  Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.  Amen.