And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good
pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times
will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth
together under one head, even Christ.
Ephesians 1:9-10
How many of you consider God’s will a mystery? Not so. God
actually was delighted to reveal His will to us, in Jesus. Previously the
Father had hinted at Christ and His perfect plan to redeem His people. All of
Israel expected a Messiah to rescue them from their various oppressors, when
what they really needed was to be rescued from themselves.
Their plan was minuscule, God’s plan magnificent. Theirs was
an earthly kingdom; His reached all the way to heaven and back. Christ was to
be the head, and all things heavenly and earthly were to come together in
unison, under Him.
Where Paul’s words are sketchy, Jesus fills in the details
in His prayer just prior to His arrest. He had done what He came to do: “I have brought you glory on earth by
completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). And that work?
Specifically, Jesus was “granted
authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those (God)
had given him” (John 17:2). Then He went on to say: “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as
we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to
let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved
me” (John 17:22-23).
There you have it, the big-picture, end-of-time, master-plan
of the will of God. It is filled with eternity and glory and unity; it was
never intended to be a mystery. God wants us to know His will, to see it as the
backdrop for life, against which we can frame all our baby steps along the way.
Nancy P
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