God’s Word Is God’s Will

There is a group of people huddled around a table in a mahogany paneled library. At the head of the table is a lawyer reading a last will and testament. The question that is on everyone’s mind is, “Who is going to get the money?” Regardless of how anyone in that room feels, there are laws and there is the written will of the person leaving the money that tells what the deceased person wants done with what belonged to him. The question for any believer is, “What is God’s will for me? What does God want me to do? God owns me. God made me. He put me here for a reason. What should I do?”

In Jeremiah 42, there was a lot of turmoil among the people of God. Babylon had conquered them and taken people back to their land from Israel. There was a group of people who feared the Babylonians, and were thinking of escaping to Egypt. Their feet were already pointed toward Egypt, but for whatever reason they felt it necessary to ask God what He wanted them to do. They asked Jeremiah to pray for them. Verse 3 says, “That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.” What should we do and where should we go? That is a good question.

The relevant question for me today is, “What does God want me to do?  Where does God want me to go? Does God have an opinion?” The short answer is that God’s Word is God’s will. The answer Jeremiah gives is precisely that. Verse 7 says, “And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.” God revealed by His word to Jeremiah what these people were to do. They did not have Scripture as we have it. They would know nothing of the Holy Spirit of God. They were asking a prophet to tell them what God would say. God did. The equivalent today is not that God would speak directly to me today. We don’t have that now, but we have a more sure word of prophecy. In fact, the reason we know the word God gave Jeremiah is that we still have it in Scripture today.

The bottom line is that God’s Word is God’s will. Before prayer, God’s Word is God’s will. Should we pray? Yes! I pray for God’s guidance all the time, but before prayer is God’s Word because if I am not willing to do what God has already written down for me to do, then what a waste of time for God to give me something more specific. In verse 19 God finally says, “Go ye not into Egypt.” He told them exactly what to do. Verse 20 says, “For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us and we will do it.”  Well, the answer from God was that they should not do it, yet they were determined to go to Egypt. Why did they even bother to ask? Oftentimes we ask God what He wants us to do when He has already told us.

I will give you an outlandish example. It is not God’s will for me to leave my wife and join somebody else. Someone could say, “I believe that leaving my wife would allow me to do some great good in the world.” It is never right to do wrong in order to get a chance to do right. God has already told us His will regarding marriage. So, I can pray about something, but my prays are useless if I am asking God about something for which He has already given clear direction. That is hypocrisy, deceit, and rebellion. God’s Word is God’s will before prayer.

God’s Word is God’s will before feelings. Why would these people be so blinded to what God had said? The answer is because of what they wanted and felt. Verse 16 says, “Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you and there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.” Why did they want to go to Egypt? It was because they feared Nebuchadnezzar if they stayed where they were. They were afraid, but God had told them specifically, “Look, do not fear Nebuchadnezzar. Stay where you are. Don’t go to Egypt. I will take care of you.” So, God’s will is before feelings.

Sometimes we think, “This is what I want to do and God wants me to be happy. This must be God’s will.” No, that is subjective, subject to your impression of reality. It is not objective, solid, or authoritative. It is a desire. Other people, oddly enough, think, “I want to do this, so I know it is not God’s will because God’s will is painful and agonizing.” They are missing the point. Sometimes people say, “If there is something you really don’t want to do, that is exactly what God is going to make you do.” If that is true, there was a gift not recognized before in that person’s heart. Regardless of the way he felt, God had gifted him. So, the question is not about what I want or do not want. It is, “What does God want?” God’s Word is God’s will before we pray and before our feelings.

God’s Word is God’s will before piety, trying to appear spiritual. Someone says “I have a peace in my heart that this is right.” I’m all for feelings and impressions, but a person can reject Christ and say he has peace about it. It doesn’t matter what you feel. If you reject Christ, then you are without salvation because of what God has actually said. Someone says “I have an impression I should do thus and so.” It may be that you have an impression, but you can’t go with peace or feelings or impressions. You have to begin with what God has said.

What about the Hoy Spirit? Do you think we should seek the guidance and leading of the Holy Spirit? Yes. Well, how? If He is going to guide you, how is He going to do that? John 14:23 Jesus says, “If a man love me, he will keep my words.” How do we know what Jesus has said? It is in the Bible. Jesus says in verse 24, “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.” Verse 25 says, “These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.” Jesus is not physically present with us now, but He left His Words.

Jesus says in John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance.” What things? The things He said, “whatsoever I have said unto you.” Sometimes we have instincts or impressions and perhaps we have one that saves our life. Can God give impressions? Yes, but they will not go contrary to what God has actually said. Can God do the supernatural? Of course He can. How do you know that He has? It is because of what He has given us in His Word.

If you want to know what you should do and where you should go begin with God’s Word. It is His will. God will never give you peace or impress you to do something that is contrary to what He has already said in the Bible. If you are not in the Word of God, then you do not have a foundation upon which to make wise and godly decisions and follow the LORD’s leading. He begins that leading by giving you His Word. Should you pray? Yes. Do you want good feelings? Sure. Should I be spiritual? Yes, but piety doesn’t make up for doing what God has said and living in obedience and faith regardless of how I may feel at the moment.