The Will Of God                                     

Psalm 40:8

            "I delight to do thy will, O my God.” We know that the words of our text find their ultimate and perfect fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ, because the Holy Spirit tells us so in Hebrews 10:7-9. How we rejoice to know that Christ, the God-man, our Substitute, has fulfilled all the will of God for us! By his obedience to God in our stead the Lord Jesus Christ obtained eternal redemption for us. His obedience to God is our righteousness. His blood is our atonement for sin. We are complete in Christ; and we are accepted in him, because he delighted to do the will of God as our Substitute.

            Yet, the words of our text were also David’s words. They express the desire, ambition, and driving force of every believer’s heart. “I delight to do thy will, O God.” All who are born of God bear this distinct mark of grace in the likeness of Christ. Believers in their inmost souls delight to do the will of God. Our joy and happiness is not merely in receiving good from God, but in rendering active service to God. We desire to obey and serve our heavenly Father in all things and do his will at all times, not reluctantly, but cheerfully. God’s will is our joy and delight.

We delight to see God’s will done in and by others, too. Our heart’s prayer is, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9-10). God the Holy Spirit has taught every believer in the world to pray with Christ, “Thy will be done.”

            Were it possible to gather all the desires, ambitions, aspirations, goals, and prayers of all God’s saints in heaven and earth into one expression, it would be this: “Thy will be done.” Every believer delights to do the will of God! When the believing heart cries, “I delight to do thy will, O God,” The meaning is: My heavenly Father, my God, in my heart of hearts, from the depths of my inmost soul,...

·        I delight to fulfill your will of purpose.

·        I delight to satisfy your will of pleasure.

·        And I delight to obey your will of precept.

            We know that our heavenly Father, the God of the Bible, is a God “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Eph. 1:11). And all who know him delight to do his will in all things. Nothing is of greater importance to those who seek to live for the glory of God than the will of God. Yet, there is much confusion among many true believers about the will of God. I hope I can help clear away some of the confusion. The Bible reveals God’s will to be made up of three parts: (1.) His precept is that which he requires and commands of his creatures. (2.) His pleasure is that in which he delights and that of which he approves. (3.) His purpose is that which he is determined to accomplish. Yet, these three things never contradict each other. They are never at odds. They are always in perfect harmony. They are, together, the will of God.

 

Don Fortner