By Brittany Gillen 6/16/2021
Thy Will – Hillary Scott
“I’m so confused.
I know I heard you loud and clear.
So, I followed through.
Somehow, I ended up here.”[1]
One of the inspirations for my debut novel, The Alastairian Legends: Peace Disintegrates, is the song Thy Will, performed by Hillary Scott. The song begins with a lament. The singer believes she has correctly interpreted God’s will and plans for her, but she is not happy with her situation after following God’s direction. I don’t know about you, but I completely relate to this feeling.
When we face a choice and ask God for His direction before proceeding, how much time do we spend listening for His response? If I am honest, not long. Many times, I pray and receive my response in a quick five minutes. Don’t you?
It is only in hindsight that we see our grievous error. We forgot to wait on the Lord.
“Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and take heart
And wait for the Lord.”
-Psalm 27:14, NIV
“For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!”
-Isaiah 30:18b, NIV
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:
With the Lord a day is like a thousand years,
and a thousand years are like a day.”
-2 Peter 3:8, NIV
In the novel, all my main characters struggle with what it means to pray and ask God for wisdom. They tell others that they have consulted God when making their plans, and in their hearts they believe they have. However, we as the reader never see them do it. Why? Because they do it so fast, we miss it. The Lady Elaina and King Adam both act impulsively and consult God while in motion. Did you catch it?
They act then consult.
When this happens, it is obvious that their decisions were made before they consulted God for His wisdom. Another line from Ms. Scott’s song resonates for me here:
“Sometimes I gotta stop
Remember that you’re God
And I am not.”[2]
“The Lord will fight for you;
You need only to be still.”
-Exodus 14:14, NIV
To truly ask God for the wisdom only He can provide, we need to stop. We cannot pray in motion. This is one of the most important lessons that my characters learn throughout their journey. They also learn that sometimes God’s will for us is not what we wanted. His will may force us to give up something we want or let go of something we think we need. Following His will may bring us pain, but in the end nothing will bring God more glory than when we follow His will.
These are lessons that I also work on learning every day. Will you pray with me?
Lord, following your will is one of the hardest things to do in our Christian walk even when we want so badly to draw near to you. We are so grateful that you are a God who sees and a God who hears and a God who plans good things. You are good, and your love endures forever. Thank you Lord for never losing patience with us and providing many opportunities for us to follow your will each day. Thank you for including us in your good plans. We are sorry when we don’t follow them. Help us to do better today than we did yesterday. Thank you for all the blessings you shower upon us each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I look forward to sharing my story with you, but in the meantime, check out the song and remember:
“I know you hear me.
I know you see me, Lord.
Your plans are for me.
Good news you have in store.
So, thy will be done.”[3]
Play the official video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp4WC_YZAuw
[1] “Thy Will” – Written by Bernie Herms, Emily Lynn Weisband, Hillary Scott
[2] “Thy Will” – Written by Bernie Herms, Emily Lynn Weisband, Hillary Scott
[3] “Thy Will” – Written by Bernie Herms, Emily Lynn Weisband, Hillary Scott