The will of the Lord be done

“So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, ‘The will of the Lord be done.’” - Act 21v14

I had a light-hearted conversation with a friend yesterday about the supposed “personality types.” These are probably best known to Christians because of Tim LeHaye’s “The Spirit Controlled Temperament” where he lists four personality types; choleric, melancholy, phlegmatic, and sanguine.

I like the Winnie the Pooh personality traits. Pooh, Rabbit, Eeyore, and Tigger fit LeHaye’s types pretty well. I identify with Rabbit, the irascible choleric. Rabbit just had a way of disagreeing with the other characters. Deep down you know he cares, but most of the time he just does things and does them his way, suffering the consequences later. What he does he fully believes in and nothing is going to dissuade him. Trouble is he is usually misguided.

In Paul I see a classis Rabbit, but with a difference. Paul is a spirit-controlled choleric. It is not clear where his motivation to go to Jerusalem came from. He said it was by the Holy Spirit’s leading, but others said that the Holy Spirit has told them to warn him not to go. Either way he was going. Here, Philip had a vision that Paul would be bound if he went and everyone began crying and pleading with him not to go.

Was Paul moved? Was he dissuaded? No – he said, “What are you so upset about. You are breaking my heart. I am not only willing to be bound, but to die for Christ if needed.”

That was it. There was nothing more to say. I am first challenged by his words. Would I go if I knew I would go to jail? Would I go if I knew there was a chance of dying? The short answer – I don’t know.

The folks in Philip’s house also had the right response. “God’s will be done.” At the end of the day when we can’t agree what to do that is the answer. To pray that God’s will, not any party or any person’s will, be done.