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People make decisions every day. Big decisions that impact the future of other people, and small decisions required to function in that moment. Decisions for good, decisions for evil, but that’s non-consequential in saying that as humans we make decisions hundreds of times everyday. Most of the time we make them without much thought, and absolutely no idea of the end result or the long term consequences. Our ability to make decisions and be in control of our actions and our lives is a key distinctive of God’s human mechanism. The fact that free will has been built into us as a divine right is the key to unlocking the purpose behind our life. God has given us the right to choose, not only to be in relationship with Him, but the subsequent factors as well. We can choose what our relationship with God looks like, what church we attend, what our devotional life looks like, what kind of Bible translation suits us best. For this reason, I’ll refer to it as the ‘First Will’.
The ‘Second Will’ is the will of God for our lives. Whether you believe that God’s will is based on predestination, that there is an exact will for your every decision, and so you aim to seek God distinct purpose for your every action, or you believe in God having a will that is generalized to His law, and whatever we decide that fits into the guidelines of scripture and the characteristics of God that we see without is a decision based on the will of God, both sides would agree that God has a purpose and intent for our daily lives. Jeremiah 29:11 would give warrant to such a belief. The God we see through the thin pages of the Bible is a God very much in seek of an intimate relationship with His Creation, longing to be very much a part of our daily lives. This is the Second Will—God’s desire to interact with us on a daily basis. To be intimately involved in our decision making process.
However, the First Will is recognized as the First Will because through God’s divine act of assent to His creation, the First Will supersedes the Second Will. We have the capacity to make decisions apart from the Second Will. The First Will can never be fully subjected to the Second Will, simply because our sin still acts as a barrier between us and the full revelation of God, and secondly, that’s the way it has to be. God needs us to make the decision in view of a broad view of options, in order for us to ultimately choose the Father.
People have free will. It’s a person’s free will to love. It’s a person’s free will to forgive, to heal, to cry and to be held. It’s a person’s free will to except the love another has to offer. And in that free will come pain, rejection, heart ache and the capacity for true love. The First Will is not perfect. The First Will brings pain, but only through the First Will can love exist in human form.
This is when the Second Will becomes the foundation of the First Will. God’s will is the foundation for our choices and decisions on the daily basis. Sometimes we mess up, we don’t get it quite right, but through it all God Will prevails. The Second Will is perfect. We must ask ourselves, in the pain of the First Will, is God trustworthy? The Second Will prevails, as the foundation of the world. This is the mysterious wonder that makes no sense. That though we walk through the shadow of the valley of Death, the death of relationships, the death of opportunities, the death of our dreams or visions, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Is God trustworthy?
Though the First Will may say, “my free will is not to love, my free will is for this marriage to be over, my free will is for this baby not to be born, my free will for this business partnership to end, my free will is for this relationship to be over” the Second Will says “I have you in the palm of my hand, and I’m not letting go.” The First Will may have the first word, but the Second Will has the last word.
Even when the First Will brings pain, brings destruction, God’s will, the Second Will forms the foundation of the two wills. We know that in the end, The Second Will Prevails. There was a time, when things were not well, and I had responded to the situation in bitterness and condescension, that, in brokenness, I asked God, “Dad, can you still love me, even though I’ve turned away from you.” After a few moments, the only response I heard was, “Chad, I knew exactly what was going to happen, I knew how much it would hurt you, and I still let those things happen. Can you still love me?” Is He trustworthy?
Dear Dad, you know my heart and my mind. You know that I don’t trust you sometimes when things don’t go my way. But Dad, I still love you. Help me to trust you. Help me see that you have the world in the palm of your hand. Help me see that you’re Will is perfect, and that you have you’re best for me.
, Chad
