God’s Secret and Revealed Will
I memorized this verse this morning and it brought to mind a conversation about God's will that my wife and I had this past weekend during our "date." I know you're thinking "How romantic that they discuss theology on their dates!" Well, I loved it!
"The secret things belong to the LORD but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." Deuteronomy 29:29
Some might encourage us to exhaust all effort in an attempt to discover the "secret things" rather than learn and devote ourselves to the "things that are revealed." God has revealed his will for us in a book called the Bible. What he wants us to know, he has made clear in that book. He also has a secret will that only he knows which reveals itself as life and history unfolds. This verse is telling us that God is not going to share that with us ahead of time. We are not responsible for knowing that will. We are only responsible for what God has revealed.
I have not read this book but have heard about it. It's by John MacArthur and it's called Found: God's Will. If anyone reading this post has read it, feel free to comment on the book. But the gist of it is this:
The Bible reveals that it is God's will for all of us to be:
Saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9)
Spirit-filled (Ephesians 5:17-18)
Sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7)
Submissive (1 Peter 2:13-15)
Suffering ( Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12)
If all those things are true in your life, you may do whatever you want. (source)
So for those who are prone to wonder and worry about whether or not they are doing God's secret will or that such and such a decision is God's will for them…relax. It's not your responsibility to discover the secret will of God but to be faithful to the revealed will of God.