Essential

John 21:21 (NIV)

You must follow Me.

No man will follow Christ unless He believes it's essential. There are many ways God impresses the gravity and necessity of the call on that man's soul. In the tragic case of Jeremiah, the hand of the Lord was heavy (Jeremiah 20:7) upon the prophet who preached nothing but gloom and doom to an apostate Israel. God offered no hope to him other than his soul (Jeremiah 45:5). In Jonah's case, God designed the circumstances allowing the runaway prophet to spend three miserable days and nights in a whale's stinking belly (Jonah 1:17). Jesus Himself pleaded with tears to be spared of God's wrath and judgment (Matthew 26:39) but to no avail. God's will be accomplished in this universe with or without our cooperation.

But in many cases, God overrides our will to make us compliant. Such are the sons and daughters of God brought into glory. Do you feel that God is dealing you a raw hand? Then pray as Jesus did, "not my will but thine be done".