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God's Will

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

When faced with overwhelming situations like a looming hurricane, the desire to align our prayers with God's will becomes paramount. If we could know His will more precisely, our prayers would be synchronized with what He is working out, allowing us to submit in full knowledge of His purpose. Yet, often we must admit our uncertainty and pray, "Your will be done," placing ourselves in submission to Him, as Jesus taught in the model prayer in Matthew 6, acknowledging that we may not know His specific will in every matter. This submission requires faith, especially since there are times when His will is beyond our understanding, no matter how righteous or insightful we may be. We are limited, while He knows everything and understands exactly what He intends to accomplish. The example of Abraham in Genesis 18 illustrates this harmony with God's will; though he knew God's intent to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham did not presume to know the specifics regarding Lot. Instead, he bargained for the righteous in the city, trusting in God's character to protect them, demonstrating faith in His mercy and justice without assuming the outcome. Understanding God's will is a lifelong pursuit, and we often grapple with not knowing it fully. Like Abraham, we must learn to leave certain matters to Him in faith. God's instructions, such as those for keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, reveal His will for us in specific contexts, calling us to dedication and devotion to Him. His will, as an attribute of purpose, encompasses both the decisions He must make due to His nature and those He freely chooses, shaping all creation and sustaining it by His volition. While His revealed will, encapsulated in His law and instructions, guides us to live rightly and avoid destruction, His secret will remains hidden, reserved for His own knowledge. As seen in Deuteronomy 29:29, we are to focus on what He has disclosed and trust Him with the rest. Jesus Himself reinforced this in Acts 1, directing His disciples to prioritize their work as witnesses rather than seeking hidden details of future events, emphasizing that some aspects of God's will are solely in the Father's hands. Thus, harmony with God's will involves focusing on what He has revealed through His Word, dedicating ourselves to His instructions, and exercising faith in His perfect character for the unknown. We are to walk in wisdom, filling our time with understanding His revealed will, trusting that He knows best when to unveil the secret things.

The Sovereignty of God: Part Nine

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God's sovereignty seems to imply that prayer is pointless. Yet the function of prayer is not to change God's mind, but ours!

The Model Prayer (Part Five): Your Will Be Done

Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The prayer's third petition requests, not only that God's purpose be fulfilled, but particularly that the individual follow His will more fully.

The Sovereignty of God (Part Nine)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Prayer is not a dictating to a reluctant God, but a demonstration of our attitude of dependence and need. It is a means to get into harmony with God's will.

Human Will

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God's children should never emulate the self-willed attitude Frank Sinatra's song "My Way" glorifies. Human nature and godly character are polar opposites.

God's Rest (Part 1)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Sabbath rest depicts the miracle of conversion, in which the transformation of mankind into God's image brings about a rest in which God takes pleasure.

God Is . . . What?

Booklet by John W. Ritenbaugh

What is God's nature? Is God one Being? Two? Three? Bible students have long searched for the answers to these questions. The truth is both simple and profound.

What's Going On Up There?

Article by Staff

Does it seem like your prayers never reach God's throne—that at best they are only recorded on His answering machine? Here is another way to look at prayer.

The Elements of Motivation (Part Six): Eternal Life

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

If you knew you would live forever, how would you live? Biblically, eternal life is much more than living forever: It is living as God lives!

Elements of Motivation (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Eternal life, emphasizing a special intimate relationship with God the Father and Christ, is vastly different from immortality, connoting only endless existence.

Prayer and Persistence

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Persistence in prayer does not mean an incessant pestering God into action. God always looks at our petitions from the vantage-point of His purpose.

Conviction, Moses, and Us

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Like Moses, we have to develop conviction, a product of a relationship of God, established by being faithful day by day in the little things of life.