The Will of The Lord Be Done

“For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you.” – Romans 15:22

Paul’s life reminds us that Christian service doesn’t begin with our gifts, our passions, or our plans—it begins with the will of God. In Romans 15, Paul opens his heart and shows us that ministry was never his career; it was his offering. Whether he served as a minister presenting souls to God or as a missionary breaking new ground where Christ had never been named, one truth governed every step he took: he did it all under the will of God. Like David—“a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22, NKJV)—Paul lived with a holy compulsion to obey. From his prayers in Romans 1:10 to the opening lines of every epistle, the will of God wasn’t a footnote in Paul’s life; it was the headline.

This devotion to God’s will shaped everything Paul did—even when obedience was costly. When warned that chains awaited him in Jerusalem, he answered, “I am ready… to die for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). And the room fell silent because they knew Paul wasn’t driven by safety or success—he was driven by surrender. That’s why he could rest, even in hardship. Ananias told him at his conversion, “The God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know His will” (Acts 22:14). That truth anchored Paul. He didn’t worry about what he should be doing; he was confident in the One he was doing it for. And because he walked in God’s will, he walked in spiritual triumph. He could say, “I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus… in what Christ has accomplished through me” (Romans 15:17–18). Lives were changed. The gospel advanced. That wasn’t luck—it was legacy.

This same heartbeat continues in Romans 15:22–24, where Paul shares his travel plans. At first glance, it looks like a simple itinerary. But beneath the surface is a man who refuses to move unless God wills it. He says he has been “much hindered” (v. 22)—not by failure, but by divine redirection. He longs to visit Rome, but only “by the will of God” (v. 32). Paul teaches us that delays are not defeats; they are detours designed by God. And even as he dreams of Spain, he invites the church to “strive together” with him in prayer (v. 30), because walking in God’s will doesn’t mean walking without resistance. It means walking with dependence. Paul didn’t measure ministry by plans or platforms—he measured it by obedience.

Ask yourself today: Am I serving by preference, or by the will of God? True fruitfulness, peace, and joy are found only where His will is followed. Surrender your plans, your timing, and your expectations to Him. Let His will shape your steps, your service, and your story. And may your heart echo Paul’s simple, powerful confession: “The will of the Lord be done.”

“The will of God is the only rule of a holy life; to know it is our privilege, to do it is our joy.”—Andrew Bonar