Jesus once prayed that God's will might be done on earth, just as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Jehovah's will is what is best for humanity and what he requires us to implement in our lives.
The Lord has the right to exert his will because of who he is (deity), and he can impose it in any way consistent with the sum of his attributes.
The "will of God" is expressed in many ways.
- There is the ideal will of God. He desires that all people be saved (2 Peter 3:9), but he will not rob them of their power of choice or force redemption upon them.
- The permissive will of God means that the Lord allows men to reap the evil consequences of their rebellion so they may taste the fruit of their folly (Matthew 19:8; Acts 14:16).
- Jehovah's direct will was expressed in the first century through miracles to authenticate the divine revelation being given from heaven (Acts 3:1-10; 4:16).
- The indirect will of God is orchestrated through providential activity, i.e., God working behind the scenes to accomplish his purposes (Genesis 45:7-8; 50:20).
- Scripture has revealed God's objective will. This will may be known (Colossians 1:9), tested (Romans 12:2), and understood (Ephesians 5:17). It is part of a teaching system (John 7:17) that must be obeyed (Matthew 7:21), not rejected (Luke 7:30).
- The implied will of God is what can be deduced logically through proper use of one's reasoning faculties. Paul concluded that it was God's will that he preach in Macedonia — as a result of a supernatural vision he saw in the night at Troas (Acts 16:10).
Our Creator wants us to know and to obey his revealed will.
