Re-Posted from "Meditations of a Charismatic Calvinist Who Does Not Speak in Tongues"
One of the common ways to try to determine God's will is to look for
open doors. There is a danger in this. It can lead us to do only what we
regard as reasonable and sensible (Proverbs 3:5,6). Scripture mentions
the fact of open doors (1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12) and
calls for prayer for open doors (Colossians 4:3), but nowhere does it
make these the chief criteria for determining God's will. Now God does
use circumstances to direct us. Take, for example, the story of the
Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40). He was reading Isaiah 53 when a man
mysteriously came up to him and used the passage to preach to him Jesus.
However, for this to happen Philip had to leave an open door in Samaria
to follow God's leading to go out into the desert. Sometimes it is not
God's will for us to do what makes sense to us.
I
remember cases in my own life when God caused circumstances to come
together to make a point. When I had first come back to following God, I
was considering chickening out and not going to a meeting I had been
invited to because I felt if I was a Christian I would never have any
fun. I was sitting eating in the cafeteria by my college dorm when a
group of people I did not know sat down at my table. They were laughing
and joking and having a good time, when I noticed one of them was
wearing a large cross. I thought it was probably just a piece of
jewelry, but I was encouraged to go to the meeting anyway. After the
meeting the same group of people came up and said that they should have
said something when they sat down at my table. I have had other such
experiences, but I have also had cases where nothing seemed to come
together and I had no idea where God was leading me. Circumstances are
relevant, but they should not be made the final judge for determining
God's will.
What We Really Crave, Abba Alone Can Give
6 hours ago
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