God's Will Be Done

Acts 21:1-14
I think verse 14 sets a theme of sorts for the readings this morning. Paul was insisting on going to Jerusalem even if it meant imprisonment or death. Verse 14 says, “Since he would not be persuaded, we remained silent except to say, ‘The Lord’s will be done.’” Sometimes that’s all we can say. Sometimes that’s all we know to do. Jesus taught his disciples these words as a part of what we call the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We pray, we lift up our concerns to God, we work hard for what we believe to be right, but in the end we have faith that things will be done according to the divine desire.

2 Samuel 14:1-21
This is a somewhat confusing passage, to be perfectly honest. But the bottom line is this. Because of Absalom’s actions (murdering his half-brother Amnon because Amnon had raped Absalom’s sister Tamar) David was not sure if he should accept Absalom back into his life. Those around him, however, including Joab and “a wise woman” from Tekoa, conspire to convince David to reach out to Absalom. My question would be, where is the will of God in all of this? And frankly, I don’t know. But Those around David are acting out of strong convictions; they believe in what they are doing and believe that it is for the best. Until the will of God is made manifest, they are not remaining idle. Do they risk being at odds with God’s will? Yes. Does that make it wrong to act? No. God calls us each to use all our skills and talents as best we can, and our ability to reason and to comprehend events is a gift from God, too. In the end, things will get much worse between David and Absalom, but in the mean time, there are those who believe that reconciliation is the best path to take.

Mark 10:1-16
Here is another tricky passage that needs careful consideration. Jesus answered a question about divorce by saying that anyone who puts away a wife and marries another commits adultery against her (and vice versa). In verse 9 Jesus says, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” In other words, “The Lord’s will be done.” Does this mean that divorce is a sin or that it should not be allowed among Christians? I would suggest that it is God’s will that those who marry should do so with every intention of remaining married. I believe that it is God’s will that all people should seek to live in faithful covenant, being accountable to one another and putting the needs of others first (loving our neighbors as ourselves—and who is more of a “neighbor” than a spouse?). But all human institutions are prone to sin, marriage among them. In the case that Jesus was addressing, men were divorcing their wives and essentially leaving them uncared for and without any recourse. It was a cruel thing to do in that day and age. But most churches recognize that mistakes are made, that relationships may become broken beyond the human capacity to repair, that sometimes it is necessary for a couple to divorce in order for each of them to seek a fuller, more joyful life. This is not exactly what Jesus was talking about. But the fact remains, God blesses the covenant of marriage, and when it is treated with respect and with care marriage is a tremendous blessing for those who enter in to it. God’s will would be for all marriages to be so loving and mutually respectful. When they aren’t, however, it may be necessary for the couple to seek healing and wholeness by stepping apart.