When God’s Will Seems Difficult

¹⁷For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. ¹⁸For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; . . . ²⁷Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, ²⁸and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb. Mark 6:17–19, 27-29 (NASB95) 

As I was reading this passage recently, my heart was stirred.

It is popular in many circles to think that when we walk in the will of God, we will be happy, healthy, and wealthy. Some conclude that if we experience difficulties, challenges, or tragedies, it must be related to our unfaithfulness toward God. In this type of understand, God is a giant ATM machine. If you put in the right card and the right pin number, you will get the proceeds you desire. 

Yet, (as we see in this text) John the baptizer was certainly living out the will of God. He was imprisoned because he dared to confront the wicked life choices of Herodias and Herod. John’s actions required boldness and an undying commitment to his calling. As if prison weren’t enough, John is murdered in prison to appease the “grudge” that Herodias held against him (v.19). It was John’s faithful pursuit of the will of God that landed him in the circumstances of his humanly demise. 

I think, at times, we do ourselves a disservice and blunt the sharp edge of dynamic faith in a powerful gospel when we draw a line from our faithfulness to earthly blessings. The world doesn’t need a god who gives you a car when you go to church four weeks in a row. They can just go buy a car. The world is not impressed with a faith that gives you “health” if you pray every day. Our world quietly desires the brilliance of a faith that looks beyond temporal amusements and proclaims God’s glory even in the midst of sickness, disease, discouraging cultural events and trials untold. Friends, the world in which we live needs to know of a God so good, so powerful, so capable, so involved that regardless of our circumstances, we would agree with Job and declare, “Though He slay yet will I trust in Him (Job 13:15).” 

If you’re struggling or suffering, do not fall into the trap that declares that this must result from either your sin from the weakness of an impotent or unconcerned God. You may, in fact, be suffering as a testimony of faith that others desperately need to see. 

This devotional originally appeared as part of the e-connect series at Englewood Baptist Church, Rocky Mount, NC.