God’s Will power

BY REV. CORY L. KEMP |

In case you may have forgotten today, God is still with us, for us, and among us.

Although I start my day with devotional time, my faith focus can become distracted and dwindle throughout the day. Does that ever happen to you?

When I find myself feeling out of sorts or irritable because I am only seeing what is wrong in my circumstances, I realize it’s time to stop and take stock of what’s going on.

I ask God to help me make sense of it.

God is very good at listening, helping me see the larger perspective and guiding me through and out of the tangled place in which I’ve lodged myself. God is always available, ready and willing to help, no appointment necessary, no waiting in line.

All I need to do is ask.

This part is very important to remember. While God is always with, for, and among us, God absolutely respects our free will and the power it holds for us as individuals. God is not a force of will against any of us, especially against our God-given free will to act as we choose.

It’s rather startling and sobering at the same time, as this simple truth makes each one of us responsible for our own lives. After letting that piece settle in for a bit, it can also become a very exciting and wonderful place to be.

The author of I John made this mutuality between our individual will and God’s will a more tangible awareness for their readers in the latter part of the first century with these words: If we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him. 1 John 5:15

If we are willing to ask God for whatever we want or need, we can trust that God is listening and answering.

Image via Sage Friedman on Unsplash.com

There are a hundred ways we can diminish the power of this truth, and our minds are often ready and willing to take us along on that rollercoaster ride too.

One of those twisty turns on that fast-paced carnival ride is what I described for myself earlier, my experience of sometimes feeling out of sorts, misaligned inside myself, and not quite knowing why. I can take that feeling of irritation and blame something or someone outside myself, but that is a misuse of my free will.

As a person of faith, I want my actions, my will, to align with God’s actions, God’s will. In something as simple and immediate as asking God’s help in taking responsibility for my feelings and circumstances I am doing just that. And I know, also from personal experience, that God has heard me and I have obtained my request. It’s incredibly powerful to work with God.

The world has always been, and likely will always be a complicated place. God makes it feel less so, less difficult and demanding, when we remember God is with us, for us and among us, ready and willing to work together to create whatever we choose.

About the author

The Rev. Cory L. Kemp is founder and faith mentor with Broad Plains Faith Coaching. Cory, employing her signature Handcrafted Faith program, supports ordained and lay women leaders in visualizing, understanding and strengthening their beliefs, so that they may know, love and serve God and their communities with generosity, wisdom, and joy.