Understanding God’s will for me!
Many
Christians have great difficulty in discerning God’s will. Their desire is to please Him and live their
lives according to His guidance but they falter or freeze when it comes to discovering
His will for their lives.
1. We can be encouraged when we understand that God’s will comes not just to those with a
mature faith. It is true that the
more we walk with God the better we can discern His mind but it is also true
that God desires to guide all his children.
What
was said to the Apostle Paul by Ananias is true for all of us. See Acts
22:14 also Hebrews 8:10-11
Every
one of us can come to Him with the full assurance of faith. He delights to make His will known to His
seeking children.
2. We can
discover God’s will when we earnestly seek Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, You will seek me and find me when you seek me
with all your heart.
Also,
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards
those who earnestly seek Him.” Without
faith it is impossible to please God. A
person’s faith is revealed in their persistence in seeking Him through
prayer. The one who doubts will stop
praying very soon. The one who believes
lays hold of God until they get an answer.
God honours earnestness because it is the product of a strong
faith. We cannot receive that which is
precious from God without intensely desiring it first.
Jesus
sought the Father’s will in the garden and He prayed again and again. See Hebrews 5:7 .
Is
it not true that often when we seek God’s guidance we go about it half
heartedly? How casual is our seeking
God’s will in comparison to Jesus? Many
do not seek God’s will anymore than if they
were looking for a lost loonie coin! No
wonder they don’t find it! If we value
God’s will as the greatest treasure then we will seek it with all our hearts.
3. We
discover God’s will by waiting patiently.
One
of the greatest temptations when seeking God’s guidance is to fret and become
impatient! Some decisions do not
require as clear a direction from God as others. For instance; whether to leave for a trip on the 15th or on
the 16th of the month. But some
decisions do require a clear direction from God. When choosing a spouse or deciding on a
institution for education. The effect of
these decisions have a more far-reaching consequence.
The more important the decision, the longer we
usually have to wait to be sure of God’s will.
If you trust God, you won’t be afraid to wait. Stepping out ahead of God’s direction may
cause us to lose the best which He had waiting for us. Often we fear that if we do not move on a
particular decision now that we’ll lose the opportunity. This is a simple lack of trust in God. Surely God is able to safeguard that which He
has for us!
4. We discover God’s will by having no
confidence in self. See Proverbs 3:5-6
Our
wisdom, cleverness and abilities need to be distrusted! This is a fundamental lesson in the Christian
life. It goes against the norm of human
desire. (See also Phil. 3:3ff)
Human
self wisdom is a hindrance to knowing the will of God. This does not mean we park our brain in the
garage! It does not mean we should not
get a full education. What it does mean
is that we do not rely or trust in ourselves.
A self confidence or reliance is a danger to the learned and the
unlearned alike!
The
bible likens us to sheep. Sheep are a
foolish animal being unable to find their way and are extremely short
sighted. Their safety is found in
following the shepherd. This is a
humiliating fact for a self dependant person to acknowledge their need of a
shepherd. This is what I believe keeps
many away from coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a pride that says “I need no one to
show me or help me with anything”.
Yet
this utter lack of confidence in our self is the very basic step needed to discover God’s will. Unless one humbles himself to the need
of God, one will never know the will of God.
Read: Jeremiah 29:10-14; Hebrews 13:15-17; 20-21
