Foundations of Faith
KNOWING AND DOING GOD’S WILL (III)
In Apr00 we saw that God reveals His will to us through the Scriptures and by impressions placed upon our mind by the Holy Spirit.
3. By counsel. “Where no counsel is, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Prov. 11:14). Sometimes by telling a respected Christian brother or sister about the matter in which we are seeking God’s will, they may point out Scriptural principles that bear upon the matter or ask probing questions to help us determine whether we have really satisfied the criteria for knowing God’s will.
4. By circumstances. God often guides us through circumstances. For example, one’s detailed plans for the next two months can all change in a moment’s time as result of a heart attack. But we must be careful not to look to circumstances as our means of guidance. The Lord tells us:”I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go; I will guide you with My eye.” Then, following this very positive manner of divine guidance, we are warned against depending upon circumstances for guidance:”Be not as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding:whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle lest they come near unto you” (Psa. 32:8,9). The one who is guided by circumstances first goes off in one direction, only to be reigned back in, and then in another direction, only to be pulled in again.
We should never make plans with the idea that if God does not agree with our plans He will somehow stop us. Sometimes He may permit us to go ahead with our plans as a painful learning experience. (See Assignment 7)
I once met a man in the Baltimore City Jail who admitted to allowing himself to be guided by circumstances and deceiving himself into thinking that he was following God’s will. He had used drugs from time to time and one morning he awakened with a craving for a “fix.” At the same time he realized that he probably was not pleasing God by “doing drugs.” So he prayed that if God did not want him to have drugs He would not allow him to find a drug dealer. God did not answer this insincere prayer, with the outcome that the fellow ended up in jail. Here, obviously, was a situation where it should have been clear from God’s revealed Word what His will was, without even having to pray about it.
We cannot leave the topic of circumstances without briefly commenting on Gideon and the fleece. You will recall that God confirmed His will to Gideon through the wetness or dryness of a fleece (Judg. 6:36-40). Many people since Gideon’s time have attempted to learn God’s will by “putting out the fleece.” For example, “Lord, if you want me to witness to my next door neighbor, send a purple Cadillac down the street in front of my house in the next five minutes.” Let us observe that the Lord had already plainly told Gideon what He wanted him to do. Since what he was told to do was so against his nature, Gideon put out the fleece to make perfectly sure that he had understood the Lord correctly.
The specific way or ways one learns to discern God’s will may differ for each individual. It depends on our developing a very close, full-time communion with the Lord so we can be guided by His eye (Psa. 32:8). The only way for us personally to discern God’s will is to actively seek it. Let us summarize the steps:First, make sure that the choices you are deciding among are all in accordance with Scriptural principles. Then check through all of the criteria listed earlier in this series and pray that God will help you to recognize any area of your life that might hinder Him from revealing His will to you. If you are seeking God’s will concerning a decision, consider the different choices you have and ask yourself if you would be truly willing to accept any one of these choices as your course of action. Then pray, spend time in quiet with the Lord, and perhaps seek the counsel of an older, wiser brother or sister. If you do not seem to be getting an answer, be patient, check yourself against the criteria again, and try again. Remember that the Lord desires that we be filled with the full knowledge of His will (Col. 1:9). We can count upon Him to respond to our sincere desire for this.
Do not wait until you need to make a very major life decision (such as marriage, college, career, etc.) before attempting to discern the Lord’s will for the first time. God may not give us the satisfaction of discerning His will in the bigger matters if we do not care to know His will in the smaller, everyday matters of life.
What are some of the everyday matters in which we ought to be seeking God’s will? Here are a few for starters:whether to trade in the car for a newer model or keep the present car for another year or two; deciding between a plain but reliable car and a sporty red convertible; decisions with regard to other major and moderate purchases; choice of leisure time and vacation time activities; whether to watch a specific TV program tonight; whether to watch TV at all tonight versus writing a letter to a hurting friend; whether to attend the Wednesday night prayer meeting; the best time and way to witness to one’s office mate; how much to put in the collection plate each Lord’s day; how much income to save for future emergencies; whether to visit the neighbor who is in the hospital; whether to accept an invitation to preach at the Sunday evening gospel service; what text to preach on; and so forth.
If we don’t actively pursue God’s will when these different questions come up, Satan usually will give us a gentle nudge in the direction of maximizing self-ease, comfort, and ego-satisfaction. However, if we get into the habit of asking, “Is it the Lord’s will that I do this or not do that?” many of the answers will not be difficult to figure out, simply on the basis of our knowledge of Scripture and of what we know about the nature of Christ. And for decisions that are not so clear-cut, it is well worth our while to take the time to lay the matter at the feet of the Lord and seek guidance and direction from Him.
Running the Race
Assignment 7: (a) Write out a verse in Psalm 106 that tells what might happen if we insist upon our own way. (b) Describe a personal experience in which you insisted on having your own way or else neglected to seek God’s will first.