| Thy will be done! - article by Joel Hempel
Every Sunday, we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Of course, in heaven, God's will is perfectly obeyed. Not so much here on earth! And yet, it remains God's will that we follow what is revealed in his Word. But what if God's Word does not directly address our concern? In their first meeting with the GLC Vision Team, Lutheran Church Extension Fund vision leaders, pastors Mark Frith and Dan Gilbert, used Psalm 25:4-5 as the basis for their opening devotion: Make me to know your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me. We already know a great deal about God's will for us. For example, God our Savior “. . . desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). We also know, for example, that Jesus directs us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind . . . and you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39). These and all other commandments are God’s revealed will. But what if what we want to know is not revealed? For example, Scripture is silent when it comes to the vision for our church. Although the Bible does not offer a clear path for GLC, we are not directionless. There are general principles like the above commandment from our Lord and his directive to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19-20). In addition to the above general principles, there are specific guidelines for discovering God’s will for our church. First and foremost, prayer is essential. “Make me to know your ways, O LORD,” the Psalmist models for us. Secondly, if we seek God's will, our will has to be in submission to what God wants for us. This can be painful. Jesus demonstrated this second principle for us when in Gethsemane, he prayed asking the Father to take the cup of suffering from him, "yet not my will, but yours be done" The third principle that comes to mind is less clear but extremely important. It is a principle based on trusting the process of discernment. Different approaches are used to seek Gods will. Pastors Frith and Gilbert are bringing one to us that includes fervent prayer, gathering wisdom from the community of believers, studying the findings, and other steps that will become clear as we proceed toward a revealed vision. Special thanks to Pastor Scott and Lutheran Church Extension Fund who made it possible to enter this vision process. This is an exciting time for our congregation. Let us prepare to receive a vision that will lead us into the future. | 
