This is kind of the same way that we are “driving” our own lives. God has given us these lives to live along with free-will and the ability to make our own choices. He knows exactly what is best for us and He tells us what we should do through the Bible and prayer. He mercifully reveals to us not only our “life map,” but Himself as we grow closer to Him. He is constantly sitting next to us. If we are listening for His voice, we will hear Him urging us to do something, to not do something, to go this way, to go that way, His constant directions leading us through His will for our lives.
If you want to know God’s will, you must
listen for His voice.
·
“Whoever
is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that
you are not of God.” John 8:47
·
“My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal
life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
John 10:27-28
·
“Make
me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and
teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”
Psalm 25:4-5
If you want to live out God’s will, you must
equip yourself.
Equipping
yourself is the equivalent to putting on your seatbelt. You can’t have a
harvest without first planting the seeds. Wait on the Lord to show and fulfill
His plans to you. In the meantime, make sure you are prepared to take on each
day to the best of your ability despite unexpected roadblocks, detours, twists,
and turns that I promise will happen.
·
“Wait
for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14
·
“But
they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not
faint.” Isaiah 40:31
If you want to live in God’s will, you must
trust Him.
·
“Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Psalm
3:5
Solomon
is not implying that we should trust God “just a little,” or trust Him only when
it seems easy and convenient. We must trust Him with all of our heart and lean
on Him. Think of the peeople you trust
and admire most on this earth. If you can trust them, how much more should you
trust God, who will never ever let you down? We shouldn’t tell Him we know better
than He by questioning His plans for our lives.
If you want to understand God’s will, you
must see the whole picture.
We
don’t understand a lot of things that happen here on this earth and that’s
because we can’t see what God can see. We can only have faith in God that
things work out alright amidst pain, struggle and strife. It’s hard to comprehend why two rising
high-school seniors were killed and three others injured by a selfish man who
had already been convicted of more than a handful of DUIs. It’s crazy that one
day someone can wake up with fatal symptoms of an incurable disease that they
showed no hint of yesterday.
In the
movie Do You Believe, the older couple’s
daughter had been hit by a drunk driver years ago. The wife asks, “Where was
God? Where was he the night that she was killed?” The husband with answers something
similar to, “He was there. He was begging that man to not have another drink,
to call a cab, to do anything but get behind the wheel of that car and drive.”
Just
because something tragic happens does not mean that God is not present. Just because we do not see or feel His presence does not mean His hand is not working. It is
in times of crisis when God feels even closer perhaps. Peoples’ sinful wills
cause bad things to happen. The easy access to alcohol has done big things for
our country. However, I cannot think of one of them that is good or positive. The only thing
that it has left our country with is addiction, brokenness, tragedy, and loss. God let
Satan tempt Job by stripping Him of almost everything that he had. However,
there is one thing that he did not and we cannot lose: our relationship with
God. At some point in your life, it may feel like the only thing you have. And
at that point, it is enough if we trust in Him.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for
my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of
my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake
of Christ, then, I am content with
weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am
weak, then I am strong.” {2
Corinthians 12:9-10}