Knowing the Will of God

John 19:9

He took Jesus back in to the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above…”

I want to know the Will of God for my life like this. Jesus was faced with his pending death and had many opportunities to defend Himself, walk away from what He knew would be the worst suffering of His life. He knew that with just a word He could have stopped all of this. We talk about this all the time: how Jesus could have called an army of angels down to stop his suffering, how He could have merely looked at his tormentors and it would’ve been over. But do we really get that? This was a REAL choice for our Lord. To make His way to the cross for us. I can imagine (in part, no doubt from seeing Passion) the noise and the confusion, the blind rage of the people who only wanted to see Him crucified, the wailing, the jeering, the anger…He could have stopped it all. But He knew the Will of His father-and He took it with Him to the cross.

I wonder what it must be like to know the Will of God for one’s life so clearly. That even the suffering parts of it are experienced differently b/c you know where this is going. To know so clearly that what is on the other end of this is so spectacular that this suffering cannot compare. The above referenced conversation stands out to me b/c Pilate is pleading-just talk to me, just tell me that you are, tell me where you are from and I will fight for you. But this is God-and knowing that Pilate could do nothing to change this course of events, refused to budge.

Sometimes when you know where the Lord is taking you the journey-with its bumps, bruises and pains-is easier to bear. The suffering becomes a means to an end…We so often get stuck in the right now. Right now this hurts, right now this feels horrible, right now…but real trust in the Lord is understanding the sacrifice of the cross. We want to be more like Jesus but that includes suffering and for us suffering without knowing the ‘why’s’ but recognizing that the end will be greater.

God chose to send Him, but He chose to stay…