Is the Safest Place to be REALLY in the Will of God??
We are in the middle of three-part series detailing, “Things we believe that are not really in the Bible.”
Week One: Does God Really Want Us to be Happy – Above All Else?
Week Two: Should You Look Within Your Heart to Find the Answers?
Week Three: Is the Safest Place to be REALLY in the Will of God?
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The entire event was amazing – from the weather to the family activities, to the food, to the sessions.
Among our sessions was our daily time in worship with Dr. Danny Akin (current president of Southeastern Theological Seminary.)
During our very first session, he asked: “Is the Safest Place to Be in the Will of God?”
Being good pastors and wives, we all said, “Of course.”
And, then he said something I’ll never forget.
“The middle of the will of God may not be safe at all!
It actually may be one of the most dangerous places to be.”
(Dr. Danny Akin)
He went on to give us example after example of missionaries who had given their lives to Christ and died for their faith.
We looked at many modern-day martyrs, who died taking a stand for their faith. We considered Hebrews 11, where the Bible details a whole list of people who suffered for the sake of the gospel.
“The will of God is NOT the safest place to be, but it is the only place and the best place for a surrendered believer to live.”
That message was shared over 15 years ago, and it still sticks with me.
Living surrendered to the will of God is not necessarily a safe thing! Click To Tweet
It could be dangerous.
It could be costly.
It could be hard.
It could be lonely.
It could be difficult.
2 Timothy 3:12 states it this way, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
1 Peter 5:10 tells us, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
Why should we surrender our hearts and our lives to the Lord Jesus?
Why should we entrust ourselves into His care?
Revelation 11:17, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, THE ONE WHO IS AND WHO ALWAYS WAS.”
Psalm 115:3, “But our God is in heaven; HE DOES WHATEVER HE PLEASES.”
We surrender to Him and place our lives into His care because He is the one true God! He is the almighty Creator of this universe!
John Piper has said:
“We long to be awe-struck. We long for some friendly terror and some joyful dread. And the only way we will ever experience it is to know the Lord as GOD ALMIGHTY, the omnipotent.”
Psalm 47:8, “God reigns over the nations, GOD SITS ON HIS HOLY THRONE.”
Isaiah 40:15, “No, for all THE NATIONS ARE BUT A DROP IN THE BUCKET. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He (God) picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand.”
God is still on His throne. He is still completely and totally in control of our world. There is nothing that He misses. There is nothing that surprises Him or catches Him off guard. He is God!
Lysa TerKeurst has said,
“I can rest in the fact that God is in control. Which means I can face things that are out of my control and not ACT out of control.”
Isaiah 46:10, “Think about this. Wrap your minds around it. This is serious business, rebels. Take it to heart. Remember your history, your long and rich history. I am God, the only God you’ve had or ever will have— incomparable, irreplaceable— From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be, ALL ALONG LETTING YOU IN ON WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul, I’ll do exactly what I set out to do,’” (MSG)
Isaiah 46:10, “Only I can TELL YOU THE FUTURE before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” (NLT)
Psalm 139:16, “YOU SAW ME BEFORE I WAS BORN. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
This is an awesome thing! Our God knows what is coming in an hour, in a day, in a month, and in a year.
He knows who the next president will be.
He knows which teams will win and which will lose.
He knows what the temperatures will be like over the next month.
He knows what our children need next, what our spouse needs next, and what we need next.
I love this quote from Corrie ten Boom
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. (Corrie ten Boom) Click To Tweet
Psalm 118:6, “THE LORD IS FOR ME, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? IF GOD IS FOR US, who can be against us?”
Oh, I just love this fact – God is FOR me! God is FOR you! This is an amazing thought. If God is for us, who can stand against us?
Zephaniah 3:17, “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. WITH HIS LOVE, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
Romans 8:38-39, “And I am convinced that NOTHING CAN EVER SEPARATE US FROM GOD’S LOVE. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God loves us – period! He just does, and nothing can separate us from His love.
Franklin Graham said, “No matter what storm you face, you need to know that God loves you. He has not abandoned you.”
What a great word from Rick Warren:
God’s love is like an ocean. You can see its beginning, but not its end. (Rick Warren) Click To Tweet
Psalm 16:5, “LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. YOU GUARD ALL THAT IS MINE.” (NLT)
Psalm 16:5, “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: THOU MAINTAINEST MY LOT.” (KJV)
God will guard all that is ours. He alone is our inheritance and our cup of blessing.
On of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Elliot, loves Psalm 16:5. She explains that it is God’s job to maintain my lot. That “lot” is everything that is involved in my life: my family, my ministry, my friendship, my dollars, my plans, my hopes and dreams, and the things I own.
God will take care of us and all of our stuff.
Elizabeth Elliot once said, Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us. Click To Tweet
It doesn’t. Everything – including us – can confidently depend on God to take care of things.
Philippians 4:19, “And this same God who takes care of me WILL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEEDS from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”
Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER FEEDS THEM. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”
God will take care of our needs. He promises to meet every true need that we have.
Elizabeth Elliot shares it this way:
God has promised to supply all of our needs. What we don’t have now, we don’t NEED now. (E. Elliot) Click To Tweet
Psalm 139: 13-14, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME SO WONDERFULLY COMPLEX! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”
Ephesians 2:10, “FOR WE ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
God created each person on planet earth as a designer’s original, a masterpiece. We are very precious to our God.
Max Lucado puts it this way:
“You weren’t an accident. You weren’t mass produced. You aren’t an assembly line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the earth by the Master Craftsman.”
There really is no other choice for a believer but to surrender our lives to God, to serve Him, and to trust Him completely!
He is Almighty God who rules this earth with complete power and control. God knows what is coming next. He is for us, He loves us, and He guards all that is mine. The Lord will supply all that we truly need. And, He designed us as one-of-a-kind originals.
Next time you hear that quaint saying, “The safest place to be is in the will of God,” just remember it may not be a safe place at all!
However, the best and the only place to live is surrendered to the Lord’s plans for your life.
“My faith is not to rest in the outcome I think God should work out for me.
MY FAITH RESTS IN WHO GOD IS… the quietness of my heart is the fruit of an absolute confidence in God.”
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So, what do you think?
Is the safest place to be inside the will of God?
I always enjoy hearing from you!
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