Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their
own;
it
is not for them to direct their steps.
God’s will WILL be done. But do we have a (free)will in all of
this? Yes.
There is God’s determined will—what
will happen no matter what anyone says or does.
Then there is God’s permissive will—what He allows to happen according
to our will.
Let’s say you are going on a trip
with your family. That is your plan and
your will. You will get them there in
four hours by car—straight through. But,
uh-oh, little Suzy needs to go to the bathroom two hours in. You hear the cries and agree to stop. Suzy goes to the bathroom. Everyone’s happy, but your family is ten
minutes late to arrive. You could have
chosen your will over Suzy’s and cleaned up the mess when you arrived at your
destination.
You eventually arrived according to
your determined will, but you permitted bathroom breaks according to the needs
(will) of others along the way.
God has a life for us that He has
determined. He does whatever He can to
get us there to fulfill the bigger will He has for all humankind—accepting and
praising Him in heaven.
If God made us do anything, forced
us, then He disqualifies the trait He created in us that is in His
image—freewill. However, God knows us so
well and knows where we will end up, that He can influence our choice and knows
the ways to get to our heart.