March 2, 2015.

Buoys and the Will of God

How can I know the will of God?  Is it some obscure, uncertain nebulous cloud?  Is it discovered by sheer circumstantial evidence?  Or is there something far more concrete and stable?  If I am actively seeking the will of God, seeking what delights his heart, then I will surely see enough of the path ahead to make my way; and humility is the gateway to that path.  He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way.” (Psalm 25:9).  Many translations use the word, “afflicted,” rather than humble.  Afflictions have a way of bringing us nearer to our God, so that we are humbled and ready to listen. 

Pastor Pernell mentioned that, when he counsels people, he now asks them:  “Do you truly want to DO the will of God?”  So often, we already know what is best; we already know where God would lead us.  Are we willing to go?  I am reminded of Abraham’s servant, who was sent on a mission to find a wife for Isaac.  As the servant recounts his story, his comment is so striking: “…being in the way, the Lord led me.” (Gen.24:27).  In other words, he wasn’t just laying around the house, waiting for God to send a lightning bolt answer to his query.  No, he set out, at his master’s request.  He was already on the way to doing the will of God. 

A harbour and a set of buoys make for a helpful analogy.  As the buoys line up in a certain manner, to bring someone safely into the harbour, so it is with several “buoys” as related to the will of God; markers, if you like.  A number of questions need to be asked, when there is truly an uncertainty as to God’s will:

1)       Am I daily reading the Bible, so that I am actively being taught and being shown His will?

2)     Am I willing to ask the counsel of mature Christians, who are not afraid to speak the truth?

3)     Am I expecting God to answer prayer?

4)     Am I mindful of the circumstances that God surrounds me with, as I seek His will?

5)     Am I willing to DO what He shows me to do?

If I can honestly see that these “buoys” line up, then I can have confidence that God is showing me the way forward; leading me safely into the harbour of His will.