We always believe that if we're headed in the direction that God wants us to go, life will be easy, everything will line up with our desires and doors will just pop open. We believe we'll have "smooth sailing".
In my study time today I was reading in Acts 19 and 20, I love to read of Paul's actions and words. Paul was a passionate person,shown throughout his life, and gave himself completely into God's will. Paul lived and breathed to bring the truth of Jesus to people.
If anyone could expect smooth sailing, it should have been Paul. But from the moment he met Jesus on the road to Damascus Paul's life became filled with trials, physical ailments(blindness!), distrust, beatings, accusations, debates, incarcerations, betrayals, many things that we wouldn't expect if we felt we were in God's will. The first time we were beaten, would we throw in the towel and say "well, this must not be God's will for me!"?
One of the times Paul was beaten(Acts 14:19), the citizens believed him to be dead dragged his body out of town and left it on the dump for the dogs to eat. Would you believe you had acted in God's will if this happened to you?
When people were wanting to beat Paul(which happened frequently) and weren't able to find him, they would take his companions and beat them! Can you imagine how many of your companions would stick with you through this? They would be denouncing you, telling you this couldn't be God's will!
But even in his own words (Acts 20:22 written by Luke) Paul says "And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me."
It kind of makes you wonder where we got the idea that we should just look for "open doors" and an easy path(everything lining up), I'm not really sure when this belief system first took hold, but we can see in scripture that it isn't accurate. For us to believe that if it's God's "will" for us, things will fall into line with "our will" is a deception that must have been brought to us by the great deceiver himself. Perhaps it's just because we want to believe if we're doing what God wants us to, everything will be easy?
Where does this leave us? It leaves us with a choice, to do God's will whether it's easy or not, whether we see great rewards on earth or not. Our reward should simply be walking with God, living in His will! Our lives are incomplete without Him, we are only shells of what we are able to be when filled with His Holy Spirit!
When we walk in our own wills we may find an easier path, and even more earthly rewards. And sometimes God's path will bring us these things, but if our goal is simply to walk an easy path we should not try to claim that we're doing this because it's God's will, if truly it's just that it is our own desires.
I encourage you, seek His will, walk in His will, easy or not, it leads to a completeness in Him that you can find in no other source.
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