But
“yet not My will, but Thine be done.” Luke 22:42
But – There are several words in Greek that are translated “but”. This one is alla. It is a strong and deliberate pause. The difference between my will and God’s will requires an intentional stop and start. I have to come to the end of myself in order to choose God’s agenda. The process is not gradual. I don’t ease into God’s purposes by making small adjustments on the path of being a better person. I have to abandon the path of self-fulfillment and take the path of self-denial.
Our world is obsessed with the idea of self-fulfillment. Just think about the amount of energy and time we spend trying to answer the question, “What is the real purpose of my life?” Even as Christians, we are easily caught in this mysterious and frustrating quest for the final answer to our existence. This shouldn’t be surprising. After all, from the time we are small children we have been asked the perplexing question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It doesn’t stop there. Going to college? “What is your major?” Choosing a career? “What are your goals?” In our world, life’s big questions are all about me. Our heroes are the self-fulfilled kind, men and women whose lives are successes. That’s why we flock to the motivational speakers who paint a picture of fulfilled dreams. We are on a frenzied search for our destiny.
God has another plan. His path is not the path of self-fulfillment. It is the path of self-denial. In God’s world, my purposes are set aside in order that I may align myself with His agenda. Henry Blackaby once said, “Find out where God is working and go join Him.” That is pretty easy to do. God has given us a clear picture of His agenda in Scripture. He’s found in caring for the sick, showing compassion for the brokenhearted, visiting the imprisoned, lifting the burden of the poor, giving water to the thirsty and food to the hungry. He is at work proclaiming the good news and making disciples. The Bible is filled with stories of human beings who found out where God was working and joined Him. They discovered that fulfillment came when they gave up the quest for personal destiny and took up the challenge of God’s direction.
Maybe you are one of those people who struggle with the destiny question. I know what that is like. I had to lose everything that I thought would give me self-fulfillment in order to understand this simple truth: when I have nothing of my self, God can do anything through me. Jesus knew this truth. When he emptied himself, God redeemed the entire universe through him. My destiny is to be emptied of me.
