Psalm 135:6: “Whatever the LORD pleases He does, / In heaven and in earth, / In the seas and in all deep places.”

May 20th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This phrase, “Whatever the LORD pleases He does,” is better translated ”Whatever the LORD desires He does.” God is the all-powerful (omnipotent) and sovereign ruling Lord over all creation and whatever He desires to make happen, He is capable of making happen. But this does not mean that He is arbitrary, illogical, or capricious. God does not do things on impulse or whim. He is constrained by truth, justice, mercy, and love. God’s actions are always motivated by a desire for our good, but often times His will is thwarted in individual lives. Stephen confronted the Pharisees with this fact in Acts 7:51: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” What a strange irony that God’s best or God’s desire is not always realized on earth. The Apostle Peter commented on this in 2 Peter 3:9:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

God wants all of humanity to come to Him, but few do. Although the realm of God’s dominion extends to everything, and His authority is unlimited, we can resist His desire for us at the expense of our own best interest. How much better to submit to His desires for us and find peace today. The name of the author of the poem The Will of God is not known, but the depth of the writer’s personal relationship with the Lord is unmistakable.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

Everything happens for a purpose. We may not see the wisdom of it all now, but trust and believe in the Lord that everything He allows is for the best.

“LORD, by Your grace, please keep us in the very center of Your will this day, in Jesus’ name.”