The Secret Will of God
Jesus said, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).
There are actually three potential wills of God: secret/perfect will, revealed will, and permissive will.
Only God knows the secret will. It cannot be opposed or prevented.
God reveals his revealed will through Scripture. It can be prevented.
His permissive will is found in Psalm 106:15:
“And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul” (Psalm 106:15).
An example of His permissive will is in the story of Balaam in Numbers 22ff. God told Balaam not to go and curse Israel. But Balaak offered Balaam money, and Balaam asked God again. God relented and let Balaam go, but it was not God’s perfect will. It was His permissive will.
Paul writes about the perfect will of God in Romans 12:2. He describes the “good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” referring to the progression of doing God’s will. There are phases and a progression, from good to acceptable to perfect.
Jesus Reveals the Secret Will of God in the Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer is a revelation of prayer. There are at least 23 glorious revelations in it.
It is also a revelation of the mystery and reality of the new divine life in Jesus Christ.
One of the revelations regards the secret will of God.
Jesus said, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
Jesus reveals here that we should pray and desire – and much more – that God’s will in heaven is done on the earth.
Jesus is revealing to us that there is a will of God in heaven, which is the secret, perfect will of God.
Jesus reveals that it is possible for us to do this secret, perfect will on earth.
Remember that earlier, we saw that the secret place is in heaven. The secret will of God is also in heaven.
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