I recently heard something that I am not sure can be determined as absolute fact, for so many events in man’s history are modified, as it were, for the benefits of other’s desires, whether it be individuals or nations. Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, a confederate general in the American civil war, was reputed to have been asked by someone how he could remain so calm in the face of such terrible tragedy and in the war that surrounded him on a daily basis. His reply we are told was “Sir, whether I am on the battlefield or in my own bed, if I am in the will of the Lord, I am safe.” Now, as I said, I cannot say for a fact whether or not this man said these words, but I believe that we can rest assured that out of all the thousands of wars and the millions that have fought in them since God created this planet, someone, somewhere has said something similar to this.
“As long as I am in the will of God” is an interesting statement, for I do not believe anyone ever, save for our Lord Jesus Christ, has ever been fully, completely, and continuously in the will of the Father. This must be one of our most fervent prayers though, for when we are in His will, “in all wisdom and truth” (Col.1:9) we are then the most receptive of His leading of our lives.
“Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) All things serve the will of God, but it is not the will of God that everything that occurs should happen. I realize that this may difficult for some to grasp, but I believe that we can all rest assured that children should not be killed in the womb, that a loving, devoted husband should not die at the hands of a drunk driver, that pain and suffering should be so prevalent all around this world. “The prince of the power of the air” (Eph.2:2) is still at work in the children of disobedience, and though we do not understand because we cannot see the full picture yet, we must trust in Him who still lets.
It is a concern here as to why so many try to make a differentially between the words ‘Savior’ and ‘Lord’, as if the two titles had separate meanings for the child of God. Christ is the only one that has ever, and will be the only one throughout all of eternity, that can lay claim to the title Savior. “For there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) No soul will enter into the Kingdom of God without the truth of this in their heart, yet many seem to believe that that is all that is necessary, thinking they can call him Savior now, and Lord as time goes on.
Whether we like it or not, whether we will admit it to ourselves or not, trust is an incredibly difficult trait to achieve, for it is ingrained in us that it must be earned, and for some of those that come into our lives, it must be deserved over and over again, for it can be broken so easily. Even the ‘greatest’ saint, as it were, that you can think of in your mind was still steeped in sin on the last day of their life here on this earth, for none is Holy, save one, and though we are told, and rightfully so, to emulate these great heroes of the faith, (1st Cor. 11:1) we are also told “Cursed be the man that trusts in man…” (Jer. 17:5), for all men will surely fail us. Only our Lord is to be trusted fully.
I like to use an analogy of the way many of us seem to trust God, one that uses an item most of us are familiar with. When you’re are going down the road in your vehicle and it starts to sprinkle, not a constant rain, but a drizzle that requires you to put your windshield wipers on intermittent. For a few moments as you are travelling, it is difficult to see, and then the blades flow across the windshield and for a few moments it is clear. If it begins to rain harder, well of course, we turn the speed of the wipers up, if it quits, we turn them off. This is how those who have only called Jesus Savior but not Lord go thru life. When a little rain comes, when troubles show up, they call on him a little, trusting in themselves only for the most part, but when it starts to pour, when it looks like this is more than they can handle and fear grips them, their prayers are fervent and constant, pleading and begging for Him to rush down and rescue them. When the rain stops though, when the sky is blue and the sun is shining, and the horizon is clear from turbulence, “Well I know I am saved, but I really don’t need Him right now.” So sad.
My wonderful wife learns best, as I believe many people do, thru the stories of others, through their testimonies, what God has done in these persons personal lives. Most generally these tales are told by individuals that have gone through circumstances that have affected the very character of their lives, and have nearly always drawn them closer to Him, furthering their trust in His revealed care and love for them. Are not the Scriptures full of examples of those that have been taught this way, that by bringing trails and tribulations into our lives, our Precious Savior teaches us that He is trustworthy. And yet, how many times can you recall that his reply was “O ye of little faith,” how many times must we be taught the lesson that He is more than Savior, that He is Lord, and that He deserves all of out trust, no matter the circumstances. How many times does the red sea need to part for you, how many times must He bring you back from captivity before He will always be referred to as Lord.
God does not make us go through lessons we already know and understand, in His own blessed way, in His great wisdom that we cannot fathom, he has allowed us free will, and in our own free will we can accept Him as Savior, but be very sure of this, every knee will bow and call Him Lord. (Isa. 45:23) “The just shall live by faith” (Heb. 10:38) and it is impossible to have faith unless you have trust.
Reverse the roles for a moment, as it were, are we not told in the Word of God that “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10) Has not He shown that He has accomplished this, and much more for us. Will you truly be surprised by all the wonderful gifts that will be bestowed on that day by our Lord to a single mom whose one main purpose in life was to raise up God-fearing, Christ-centered, Bible believing children, this woman who wrote no books, penned no wonderful hymns, but fought a daily, life long battle against the world and the wiles of Satan and all his fiery darts, for her children’s sake, trusting daily in His provisions, rearing children that rose up to be strong warriors and obedient servants for the Glory of God.
We did not just accept Him as Savior on that beautiful day when we heeded His call, when we opened the door of our heart that He had been knocking on for O so long, we acknowledged Him as Lord, as Sovereign Master, at that exact same moment. He should not need to prove Himself to us, He does not need to show signs in the heavens or in our hearts that His love for us is real, He did that on the cross, and the cross is all He ever should have needed to do. Our Savior is the one that has done the unspeakable for us, our Lord is to be recognized and obeyed in all areas of our lives, no matter what, for He is worthy. He is both Lord and Savior simultaneously to those who have truly called on His name.
Don’t work your way up, as it were, from calling Him Savior to finally calling Him by His rightful title, Lord, for this is what and who He is, who He has always been, and who He will be throughout all of eternity. His great love alone for us should be all we need to recognize this truth, for if Christ is completely Lord of your life, if He is to be trusted wholly and fully in every aspect of your self and soul, then a confidence to walk whatever path He has chosen for you will be looked at as a blessing, and in complete conviction you will walk in it.
If He remains Savior only, which is an unspeakable blessing on its own, but never truly Lord, you will never experience the incredible wonders that He wants to unfold for you, but that day, that very moment that you do, then you will be in His perfect will. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 17:14) and it is His will that you recognize this always.
