Finding God's Will

“Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”             —Genesis 12:1

The joke is told about a person, who made a New Year’s resolution to read the Bible and discover God’s will. Not knowing how to begin, he opened the Bible at random and read the verse, “And Judas hung himself” (Matthew 27:5). Shocked but fairly sure this was not God’s will for him; he opened the Bible again and landed on the phrase, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). Discouraged, he opened the Bible one final time and came to the verse, “What you must do, do quickly” (John 13:27).

Although I have heard testimonies of God miraculously speaking a perfect word to folks who have used this “open and land” method of reading the Bible, I don’t recommend it for finding God’s will for your life. The Bible is full of instructions and insights, but many do not apply to you and the situation you are facing.

How does one find God’s will for their life? Once, when I was leading a lock-in at a local YMCA, I asked folks how they have found God’s will. One lady quickly responded, “Trial and error.” Unfortunately, this is probably true for many of us. The trial and error method works if we stick with it, but there has to be a better and less painful way.

Henry and Richard Blackaby believe we often get the incorrect answers in our search for God’s will because we ask the wrong questions. Instead of asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” Blackaby suggests we ask, “What is God’s will and how can I adjust my life to Him?” (Experiencing God, 32) Notice how this question focuses on God and His will rather than me and my life.

We often read the Bible like a roadmap, and in many ways, the Bible is a roadmap for our lives. But Jesus criticized the Scribes and Pharisees because they believed by diligently studying the Scriptures they might possess eternal life. Jesus pointed out that the Scriptures testify about Him (John 5:39).

Jesus called each of the disciples to follow Him. He did not give them an atlas or treasure map. When Jesus called the disciples, he said, “Come follow me” (Matthew 4:19, 9:9). To Nathanael, Jesus said, “Come and see” (John 1:46). God’s will is not found so much in a roadmap as in a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ.

Abraham, one of the great men in the Bible, was given an awesome challenge in order to follow God’s will. “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). What kind of directions is, “Leave country, people, and home and go where I ‘will’ show you?” It doesn’t say, “Go where I ‘have’ told you, but go where I ‘will’ show you.” The details of the plan were in a relationship with God rather than in a printed document.

God’s will can only be found in a faith relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If you are seeking God’s will for your life, the Bible and prayer are definitely the places to begin, but as God speaks to you through the Holy Spirit, expect to be challenged to take some steps of faith. Jesus loves you and desires to show you God’s will as you come to know Him in a personal way. Listen for Jesus’ voice calling you to “Come and see.”

When God is Silent

“Clouds and thick darkness surround him.”    —Psalm 97:2a

I found myself backed up in the express checkout lane at the grocery store. The person at the head of the line had two or three orders in her cart with each pushing the 20-item limit. On top of that, she was clipping coupons. It’s funny (or maybe sad) that my righteous indignation kicks in strongest when I am the one being inconvenienced. I moved to a different line so I wouldn’t stand there fuming and thinking badly about the person in front.

In my new line, a lady bought a bottle of vitamin D tablets. The cashier asked, “Don’t you drink enough milk?" "It's not that, you don't get enough sunlight around here in the wintertime,” she responded, “and it really gets me down."  We all experience some level of cabin fever in winter, but those with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) really suffer from the lack of sunlight and longer nights.

Spiritually, we all go through dark times. The scriptures frequently equate God’s presence with darkness and clouds. I contemplated what Psalm 97 means when it says, “Clouds and darkness surround him.” I believe there is awesomeness to God’s presence, and at times, God’s ways are hidden in mystery.

Jesus revealed God as a loving Father who seeks to be reconciled with us. Jesus called His disciples friends because He told them everything, but at times, Jesus’ ways, also seemed shrouded in darkness. Remember when Mary and Martha waited four days in vain for Jesus to come and heal their brother, Lazarus? At another time, Jesus slept in the back of the boat while the disciples feverishly tried to keep the boat afloat amid a violent storm. Once, Jesus sent the disciples across the lake alone at night while He went to the mountain to pray.  A storm arose and they nearly sank in Jesus’ absence.

What do you do when God is silent? Clouds, darkness, and silence move us beyond a faith dependent upon external things to a deeper faith in the Lord alone. Oswald Chambers describes clouds as “the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God” (My Utmost, July 29). Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God teaches us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith.

In silence, we unlearn the weak faith taught by worldly Christianity. Worldly faith depends upon the acclaim of others, the abundance of money and things, and the blessings of sunshine and rainbows.  The Lord wants to bring us to the place where our faith rests in God alone. When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John, a thick cloud encompassed them, and “They were fearful as they entered the cloud” (Luke 9:34). Is there anyone except Jesus in your cloud? “If so, it will only get darker until you get to the place where there is ‘no one any more, but only Jesus …’” (My Utmost, July 29).

As you wait out the long nights of winter or journey through spiritual darkness and silence, trust God’s presence even though you cannot see or feel it. Mary and Martha both greeted Jesus, “If you had been here” (John 11:21, 32). Jesus responded by saying, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus was present in absence and went on to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus is the same today as He was then. You can lean on the Lord, even when things are dark, even when God seems silent. 

The Time to Act is Now

“Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus … will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”    —Acts 1:11

How quickly things can change. The Monday before Thanksgiving, my dear wife fell off a two-foot stepladder, dislocated, and broke her ankle. A special thanks to our surgeon, Dr. Katz, for taking such good and quick care of my Honey. “What?” “No weight-bearing for eight weeks.”

My wife who loves every holiday but especially Christmas was put on the sidelines for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. One moment everything is fine, and the next, life goes into a holding pattern. By no fault of our own, our lives are, at times, legitimately put on hold. An illness, a layoff, a breakup, or any number of human crises may put us on the sidelines.

Sometimes however, we take ourselves out of the game of life. Our fears, laziness, or hesitations keep us from taking the step of faith that will lead us to the next level on our journey of faith. The Lord tells us, “For I know the plans I have for you … to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). God’s plans for us almost always involve an action step on our behalf. God provides, but we must decide. Our choice to participate in God’s plan for our lives always involves a decision of our will and the action of our hands and feet. We decide with our will to say, “Yes!” to God’s way. Then in obedience, we follow through with the required action step of faith.

A new year has come. What are you waiting for? Jesus (Emmanuel—God with us) has come. Why wait? He ascended to the Father, possesses all power, and promises to be with us to the end of the age. Why not go forward with Him? The Holy Spirit (God within us) has come and empowers us so we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. Why not accept the promise of the Father and move in the strength He provides?

The message from the angel to the disciples at Jesus’ ascension is a good word for us today. Jesus had just given His final commands to His disciples and ascended to His Father in heaven. The disciples simply stood there dumbfounded staring up to heaven. Two angels chided them, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” We might ask ourselves, “What are we waiting for? Why are we standing or sitting around?” Start that new job, begin that new ministry, find your way back to church, make that apology, or invite that neighbor to your house or church. The time to act is now.

The year 2013 will never come around again. This New Year might offer that perfect opportunity for you. You will never know unless you give it a try. If we sincerely call upon the Lord for help and direction, God will answer. James reminds us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt” (James 1:5-6). Many of you have asked and received an answer. Now is the time for you to act. Get up and do it. It’s a New Year, and the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ, goes with you.