Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. (Ps 77:19)
How do you follow an unseen God? Here’s a hint: when the waters part and a path opens up through the sea, God has gone before you to lead the way. Most of the time the circumstances of our lives are less dramatic but the principle is still the same. A door opens and the still, small voice of God nudges us forward. Some Christians I know are always looking for a sign from God. Sometimes they interpret seemingly inconsequential events as a sign. I don’t experience the presence of God in my life that way. God’s Word is filled with his wisdom and his commandments, and he has given us a mind to know them and apply them. No doubt my friends are sometimes reading too much into everyday events, but just as surely I believe I have often missed God’s leading. We have to leave some room for the miraculous in our lives. God’s will is not always “reasonable”. His Spirit will never contradict his Word, but his plan far exceeds our comprehension. Sometimes the next step will seem risky or strange. Lord, teach me to hear your voice. I don’t want to miss that open door which leads to the center of your will for me. Thank you, Lord, for your Word and your Spirit. Lead me on your path for my life. Amen.
Showing posts with label will of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label will of God. Show all posts
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Lining up with God's Plan
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Num 23:19)
Balak, king of Moab, called the pagan prophet Balaam to curse Israel. Amazingly, the Spirit of God came on Balaam and he prophesied not curses for Israel but blessings. So what did Balak do? Again he commanded Balaam to curse Israel and again, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Balaam blessed Israel. He also rebuked Balak with the words of this verse. Balak should have heeded the rebuke, but a third time he commanded Balaam and once more Balaam uttered a blessing, more powerful than the two before.
Balak thought he would be rewarded for his persistence and his many sacrifices, but he missed one basic point. If what we are asking contradicts God’s plan or his Word, no amount of pleading is going to change God’s mind. As a pagan, Balak thought he could manipulate the gods by bribes and flattery, but the one true God is not like that. In him there is no shadow of turning. (James 1:17) God says, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Is 46:10) He is our Sovereign Lord, and it is our job to be conformed to his will, not the other way around. Lord, help me to see when my desires are out of alignment with your perfect will. I will pray with Jesus, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42) I trust your plan for my life, born of your perfect knowledge, wisdom and goodness. Amen.
Balak, king of Moab, called the pagan prophet Balaam to curse Israel. Amazingly, the Spirit of God came on Balaam and he prophesied not curses for Israel but blessings. So what did Balak do? Again he commanded Balaam to curse Israel and again, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Balaam blessed Israel. He also rebuked Balak with the words of this verse. Balak should have heeded the rebuke, but a third time he commanded Balaam and once more Balaam uttered a blessing, more powerful than the two before.
Balak thought he would be rewarded for his persistence and his many sacrifices, but he missed one basic point. If what we are asking contradicts God’s plan or his Word, no amount of pleading is going to change God’s mind. As a pagan, Balak thought he could manipulate the gods by bribes and flattery, but the one true God is not like that. In him there is no shadow of turning. (James 1:17) God says, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Is 46:10) He is our Sovereign Lord, and it is our job to be conformed to his will, not the other way around. Lord, help me to see when my desires are out of alignment with your perfect will. I will pray with Jesus, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42) I trust your plan for my life, born of your perfect knowledge, wisdom and goodness. Amen.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Knowing God's Will
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12:2)
I frequently wonder what God’s will is in various situations. I marvel at the clarity that some of my friends seem to have at discerning his will. This verse is telling me that the secret to knowing – and doing – his will is to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. The world has certain patterns of thought, and they are far from the heart and mind of God. (Is 55:8) If instead I would have the mind of Christ (I Cor 2:16) I must steep myself in his Word and meditate on his truth. The renewal of a mind is not a simple or a quick process. It takes the persistent pursuit of truth and the consistent application of it, to be conformed to his pattern rather than the world’s. Lord, I give you my thoughts; let them become your thoughts. I give you my mind; fill it with your truth. Teach me your ways, that I would walk in them. Amen.
I frequently wonder what God’s will is in various situations. I marvel at the clarity that some of my friends seem to have at discerning his will. This verse is telling me that the secret to knowing – and doing – his will is to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. The world has certain patterns of thought, and they are far from the heart and mind of God. (Is 55:8) If instead I would have the mind of Christ (I Cor 2:16) I must steep myself in his Word and meditate on his truth. The renewal of a mind is not a simple or a quick process. It takes the persistent pursuit of truth and the consistent application of it, to be conformed to his pattern rather than the world’s. Lord, I give you my thoughts; let them become your thoughts. I give you my mind; fill it with your truth. Teach me your ways, that I would walk in them. Amen.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Discover Your Calling
I am the apostle to the Gentiles. (Rom 11:13)
Paul knew his calling. There is a marvelous clarity and simplicity to this statement. God had made clear to him what his role was to be. Paul was certainly an unlikely candidate for the title of apostle to the Gentiles, at least at the outset. A “Pharisee of Pharisees” and persecutor of the church, no one who knew him would have guessed what he would become. Indeed, it was likely not clear to him for some years after his conversion. But he willingly went with Barnabas on that first missionary journey, and discovered his calling. Lord, help me to be receptive to your leading and open to your call. I would love to have the clarity about my calling that Paul had. Help me to be so surrendered to your will that it will become clear to me as it was to him.
Paul knew his calling. There is a marvelous clarity and simplicity to this statement. God had made clear to him what his role was to be. Paul was certainly an unlikely candidate for the title of apostle to the Gentiles, at least at the outset. A “Pharisee of Pharisees” and persecutor of the church, no one who knew him would have guessed what he would become. Indeed, it was likely not clear to him for some years after his conversion. But he willingly went with Barnabas on that first missionary journey, and discovered his calling. Lord, help me to be receptive to your leading and open to your call. I would love to have the clarity about my calling that Paul had. Help me to be so surrendered to your will that it will become clear to me as it was to him.
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