The will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. (Isa. 53:10)
We follow Jesus, the suffering servant, into the world, and we too must suffer and serve. Through Christ, God’s will triumphed ultimately. His birth showed that God’s will is powerful enough to break into human history. His life demonstrated the power of God’s will over sickness, disease, ignorance, and bigotry; his death showed the ultimate power of God’s will, even making a fool of the forces of death and hell.
Yet God’s will can prosper through us as well. Because we are not God, God’s will cannot prosper through us without him; we are frail enough that we cannot do God’s will perfectly. Yet we should not ignore the vast good set before us to do. Each time the poor receive care and nourishment, each time the Word of God is preached and the means of grace are administered, each time a young person is taught the way of the Lord, each time communities are challenged to be fairer and freer places to live—each of these is a way that we partner with the Holy Spirit to answer the central prayer of the church: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Our lives are fleeting and imperfect. Our window to flourish is open only briefly. In those few moments, let it be said of us that through us the will of the Lord will prosper.
Ask: Does God’s will prosper through my actions?
Michael Jordan is the dean of the chapel at Houghton College (New York), where he also serves as chair of the department of biblical studies, theology, and philosophy.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
