The Will of God Be Done

When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers [2] and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” (Acts 21:7-14 (ESV)

And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

We, Luke is writing. Luke himself is questioning Paul’s resolve to go to Jerusalem in the face of so many prophecies. But Paul knows he has no choice. It’s the Lord’s will that he go and do this, and suffer these things. But it is also the will of Paul. Paul will be imprisoned, and even die for the name of Jesus. If that is what it will take to proclaim his name.

The ways of God are mysterious. We say that. It’s almost become cliché. His ways are not our ways. We want ministry to be a perpetual Pentecost, 3,000 and another 3,000 for a few minutes of preaching. The Holy Spirit working one glory after another, but glory in the way man perceives glory. With God, glory is a different manner. Jesus glorified his Father on the cross. God’s glory isn’t all the things we associate with his glory, his omnipotence, omniscience, etc. All of these God himself was willing to cast aside, that his true glory could be seen, hidden in a man who would sweat and bleed, cry in anguish, who would give up his ghost and rise again. How glorious that he had that power, power enough to even put aside the power. Truly, nothing is impossible for God, not even the salvation of the wicked, the repentance of the unbeliever.

The will of God be done. And it will be despite all our best efforts. It is done in Paul. There is a miracle to be seen there, that a man who once persecuted the Lord, who once could not conceive of the cross as glory, is now willing to suffer persecution for the name of God. He knows what waits for him, and he goes. May we all be given such faith and strength in the name of the Lord.