The Will of God

This topic has been on my mind lately because I hear so many people say, "I have a peace about this or that." In fact, I think I've made that statement myself. I read an article in Modern Reformation-Volume 13, Number 1, Jan/Feb 2004 that made me think. Thinking is so good! Here's a bit of what I read,

Few would dispute that "the will of God" is a big issue for any Christian. After all, it is referred to explicitly some four dozen times in the New Testament. God's will should regulate our prayers (Matt. 6:10). Doing his will is requisite for fellowship with Christ (Mark 3:35). It is required for entrance into his kingdom (Matt. 7:21). Living out his will is perhaps the very highest of Christian priorities (Rom. 12:2).

But is knowing God's will a matter of getting the big picture from Scripture's general teaching? Or should we expect personal and specific divine counsel for most, if not all, personal decisions?

Yet humility requires that we recognize the inherent gap between human and divine wills. We must be willing to claw laboriously in search of the latter in prayer. And how about when God wills to insert a Judas into our lives?Too much glib use of John 14:26 overlooks Peter's insight into how much "the will of God" may be to thrust his people forth into dire straights (1Pet. 3:17. 4:19). I have heard many christen their decisions as God's will with "I feel a peace about that." Few correlate God's will with loss, pain, grief, or death. But God's will in Christ is frequently a cross.

Commentaries are welcome!