Led Into Difficulty

One of the things that stands out in the account of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee is that the disciples were doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do (Mark4:35-41). This was not like the case of Jonah, where God told him to go one way and Jonah ran the other (see the book of Jonah). In that case, we are not surprised when God sends a storm to put Jonah back on track. But the disciples could ask the question, “Why did God send a storm when we were doing what Jesus said to do?” We are not explicitly given the answer to this question, but we can see in the context that this storm became an opportunity for the disciples to know more about Jesus and who He was. Perhaps this is a large part of what it means when it says God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

It is often in the difficult times that we learn more about God and who He is. I don’t know what your reaction to this is, but there is a petty, selfish part of me that wants to rise up and say, “Why can’t God leave me alone? Do I have to be super-spiritual? Can’t I just slide through life and be satisfied with knowing God reasonably well?” This whole approach is, of course, predicated on the idea that life is about what I want, not what God wants. But it is also firmly rooted in fear. “What am I going to have to go through to be what God wants me to be?” But God isn’t willing to let us settle for that. He has no intention of letting us settle for anything less than being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Should we settle for anything less either? The end result of the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Is this not worth passing through a few storms?

Waiting on the Lord

We hate to wait. In the hustle and bustle of modern society, few things frustrate us so much as having to wait. Yet it seems like we are constantly being put in the position of having to wait for things. We can take that baggage and carry it over into our being required to wait on God. And the Bible makes it clear that we are required to wait on God (Isaiah 40:31; Psalms 62:5-8; 123:2). We are also called to trust in God, even if we do get the thing we are waiting for on our time schedule (Proverbs 3:5,6; Hebrews 11:6; Psalms 46:10). Moses was a shepherd for forty years before God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Acts 7:23-35). Paul stayed a number of years in Tarsus before God put him into the ministry he was called to do (Galatians 1:21-2:1). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dwelt many years in the land of Canaan without seeing the promises (Hebrews 11:9-10). Joseph had to live many years in slavery before God delivered and exalted him (Acts 7:9,10). God also calls for us to wait for Him to do what He wants to accomplish in our lives.
 
What, then, should we do when we are in a situation of waiting on God? First, we should not give up hope (Galatians 6:9-10; Hebrews 11:13-16; Psalms 42:11). Now when I say this I need to add that sometimes we can be mistaken about what God wants to do in our lives, and we may need to reevaluate the direction we are headed. What we should not give up on is God accomplishing the purpose He has in mind for us (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 3:5,6). We should not be discouraged by the setbacks we encounter on the way to God’s delivering us from our current situation (Luke 8:40-56; Genesis 39:19,20; 40:23). We need to realize that our specific prayers may not be granted, and we need to go on with God in spite of this (2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Matthew 26:39; Jeremiah 7:16). We need to avoid trying, in our impatience, to accomplish God’s purposes in the wrong way (Genesis 16:1-4; Isaiah 31:1; Numbers 14:39-45). We need to continue on with the task God has given us to do while we are waiting. Whether this is watching sheep (Exodus 3:1) or doing the work of a slave (Genesis 39:4-6) or preaching in custody(Acts 28:23-30), we are to do those things we are called to do well, as unto God (Colossians 3:23.24; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:11). With that, there also needs to be an examination of our lives to see if there is something there that is preventing God from doing what He wants to do in our lives (Psalms 139:23,24; 1 Corinthians 11:28-32; Hebrews 12:12-13). But most of all, we should not give up waiting on God and trusting Him with our lives.

The Basic Principle

Verses 1 and 2 of Romans 12 have always seemed to me to be important for understanding God’s will. What they say is that if you want to understand God’s will, you need to start committing yourself to obey Him. Too often we approach the whole situation the other way around. We want God to lay out His will for us, and then we will commit to it. But God calls us to commit to do His will, whatever it may turn out to be. Further, I have found God leads us one step at a time rather than laying it all out before us. In Scripture we see Philip, who was called away from a revival to meet an Ethiopian eunuch in the desert (Acts 8:26-40). Or there is the case of Paul, who was forbidden to preach in various places in Asia Minor until he was given the vision to go to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). In more extreme cases, Joseph went through many difficulties before finally becoming second to Pharaoh, over all Egypt; and Moses was 40 years herding sheep in the wilderness before being called to deliver the children of Israel from slavery. God says He is in control of our life to guide and direct us (Ephesians 2;10; 1:11; Romans 8:28), but He does not say He will tell us the whole plan beforehand or that it will not involve difficulties (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; 2 Corinthians 4:17,18).
 
Now we are called to present our bodies as a living sacrifice; this involves a commitment to do what God wants in whatever situation we find ourselves in, even if we have no expectation beforehand that this is what God will demand of us. This is rooted in the salvation God has provided for us, as described in the first eleven chapters of Romans. If we recognize that God has saved us (Romans 4:4,5; 3:21-25; Ephesians 2:8,9) and is at work in our lives to accomplish His purposes (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:28,29), then we will be able to trust Him to direct our lives, even if we are not told what to expect next (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 127:1,2; Isaiah 40:31). Also, as He transforms us by renewing our minds, He will change our thinking so we will see things God’s way and therefore be better able to understand His will in a given situation. One of the basic contributors to the renewed mind is God’s Word, which can work in us to change our ways of thinking (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; Hebrews 5:12-14). But even so, I have often found discerning God’s will in a particular situation to be hard, and many times I have needed to wait on God and trust Him even if I did not know how He was directing me in my life. And I am convinced from both the Scriptures and my observations of life that this is not abnormal.

The Final Outcome

One thing that should put in perspective finding God's will is understanding the final outcome. For those who put their faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8.9; Romans 4:4,5; Philippians 3:9), no matter what or how long the pathway, they will end up in presence of God ( Revelation 21:3-5; Psalm 16:11; John 14:1-3) and will be like Christ (1 John 3:2; Philippians 3:20,21; Romans 8:29,30). We are not sure if the way will be short or long, straightforward or convoluted, but He will bring us through. And we are told that no matter how hard the way, it will be worth it (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17,18; Acts 14:22). Now I do not want to disregard the need to make good decisions. But we need put this in perspective . God will ultimately bring us through, and that, rather than our making the right decisions in life, is our hope.

Going Forth with Confidence

One of the problems with seeing God's will as a mysterious thing that must be figured out, is it leaves you a continual state of hesitancy regarding the future. There can be a reluctance to do anything unless you are sure what is God's will beforehand. Now I am not speaking against intelligent planning. There is a point for carefully considering something before jumping in. But there is also the danger of planning things to death and being so worried about what we should do that we do nothing. Also we should consider in our planning what God wants. But if finding what God wants is a complicated process complicated to apply we may never be sure. And we can be always second guessing ourselves about whether we made the right decisions. Rather I am convinced we should understand that God is in control of our life and will direct it (Ephesians 1:11; 2:10; Romans 8:28). This does not excuse clear-cut sin or ill thought out behavior. But it does mean we can live our life with confidence trusting God to guide us (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 127:1,2; 37:3-6). And it takes the ultimate burden off our shoulders and puts it on God's where it belongs.

Avoiding Guilt

Trying to find God's will for our lives can be an enormous guilt trip. Now there is a place for guilt in the Christian life. In 2 Corinthians 7:10 it speaks of a sorrow for sin which is of God and which leads to repentance. This is the sorrow that comes from the fact that we have sinned against God and need to recognize this and repent (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9; Psalms 51:1-4). But God then wants us to put our sins behind us and go on (Philippians 3:13,14; 1 Corinthians 4:3-5; Romans 8:33,34). This is not to say that we should not try to avoid the same sin in the future, but we should not brood over it. But this is regarding clear-cut sin. What is involved in the question of finding God's will is more often than not a matter of judgment. Unless there is clear sin involved (in which case we should repent and put it behind us), we need to trust that God is in control of our life (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 2:10; 1:11) and go on from there. The real sins are written in clear language that is open for all to see. There is no idea in Scripture of feeling guilty because we have not found the right secret formula to determine what we need to do. God does not deal in secret formulas, but in open obedience. We should not load on people unnecessary burdens that are not found in Scripture.  

Feeling Led

One of the issues involved in finding God's will is how far we can trust our feelings and impressions. I know that for myself there have been times when I very clearly felt I was being led by God in a certain direction. But there have been other times when I thought I was being led by God, and in retrospect I was clearly wrong. There have been still others where I am still scratching my head, wondering what was really going on. The thing we need to do is not to trust our feelings (or our intellect or our common sense), but to trust God (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 37:3-6; Isaiah 40:31). It is easy to start trusting in ourselves rather than God. One problem comes when we start to trust in anything as a magic formula to find God's will. We need to be willing to test things to determine whether they are from God (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11). We do this through prayer (Philippians 4:6,7; Ephesians 6:18; Matthew 7:7-11), knowing God (Jeremiah 9:23,24; Ephesians 3:18,19; Philippians 3:7-9), and knowing His Word (Colossians 3:16; Psalms 19:7-14; 2 Timothy 3:16,17). God can lead us using anything He wants to use. But we need to use care and experience to learn to identify His leading in our lives.

What Might Have Been

One of the great weaknesses we have is worrying about what might have been. It is easy to fall into the attitude that if only I had made that choice, things would have been different. But we are told that God is at work in our life to accomplish His purposes (Ephesians 2:10; 1:11; Romans 8:28). Now if there are particular sins we have committed, we need to repent of them (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 7:10). But even then, we need to put it behind us and go on (Philippians 3:12-16; Hebrews 12:1,2; 1 John 2:1,2). We need to go forward based on trust in God, not our capabilities (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 37:3-6; 127:1,2). I am not saying we should not make well thought-out decisions when going forward or ask what things in our lives now may be worth changing. But I do not think we should be burdened with guilt over what we might have done. I know myself that I can continually worry about what I should have done. We need to put those things in the hands of God and go forward.

Not Successful

If we find God's will for our life, will we be successful? I do not here necessarily mean successful as the world sees success. I do not necessarily mean we will have wealth, fame, and power. It is possible to look at success from a spiritual viewpoint. That we will have a congregation that is growing, a family that is living for Christ, a nice, relatively comfortable life full of friends, neighbors, and good times. I mean, does not the Bible say we will prosper (Joshua 1:7,8; Psalms 1:3; Isaiah 40:31) and be victorious (Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 1 John 5:4)? This should not be taken simply financially (1 Timothy 6:6-10; Matthew 6:24; Colossians 3:5). But it must mean something.

I am convinced that prosperity and victory here are from God's perspective. That when we stand before Him we will be able to look back and see what the point of it all was. But we do not always see it at the present time. There was Elijah, through whom God worked impressive miracles, but the people refused to permanently change their ways. There was Jeremiah, who cried tears over Jerusalem, but his ministry could not bring the people to repent. We are called not to pass judgment on our labors, but simply to continue in faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:28-30). Now I am not intending to oppose intelligent taking stock of whether we are doing the right thing in the best way. But I am speaking against that persistent nagging doubt that stalks those whose life has not turned out as they hoped it would. And it is here we need to trust God, even if we do not know where our path is leading us (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 127:1,2; 37:3-6).

Mystery

Finding  God's will is often presented as a nice, simple straight shot. You find the right calling or career, marry the right person, and everything will just fall into place and follow in logical order. I have known people for whom it seemed to work that way. But often God leads us in complicated and convoluted ways for reasons we do not always understand. Elijah witnessed great miracles, but ended up depressed and discouraged because the people's response to them did not measure up to his expectations. Joseph had to go through many trials and setbacks before God made him vizier over all Egypt. David spent many years running from King Saul before he received the promised kingdom. Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, but spent years waiting for it to come about. He was told at one point not to preach in Asia (Acts 16:6), but later spent two years preaching there (Acts 19:10). God is in control of our lives (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 2:10; 1:11), but He does not always lead us in simple ways we can understand. We can only trust Him (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 37:3-6; Isaiah 40:31). 

Missing God's Will

One of the common ideas in Christian circles is that if you do not make exactly the right decisions, it is possible to miss God's best will for your life. This can be an enormous guilt trip. People can go through their whole lives feeling they have missed God's will and are stuck in His second best. Often this is seen as entirely turning on minor sins or even mere errors of judgment. It is often put forth connected to some complicated formula that you have to work exactly right to get the right answer. There is absolutely no basis for this in Scripture. Jonah was told to go to Nineveh and, blatantly and deliberately, went the opposite direction. God sent a storm, and God sent a sea creature, and Jonah went to Nineveh. Paul seems to have followed a complicated path before God made it clear where he was supposed to go (Acts 16:6-10). Scripture says God is in control of our lives, working things together for our good, and does not claim this is based on our figuring out what we are supposed to do (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11; Isaiah 43:13). Now I do believe that persisting in blatant sin can have an adverse affect on our life (Galatians 6:7,8; 1 Corinthians 11:29-32; Hebrews 12:4-11). And certainly, it is worthwhile to ask God for wisdom when facing the important decisions of life (James 1:5; 1 Peter 5:6,7; Philippians 4:6,7). But the idea that finding the will of God is like working your way through a complex maze does not stand up to Scriptural examination.

Finding God's Will - The Basics

When people think of finding God's will, they often think of the big decisions: Who will I marry? Where will I work? Where will I live? But Scripture seems to start out with a more basic question: What kind of person should I be (1 Thessalonians 4:3; Ephesians 5:17; Matthew 7:21)? This involves matters of character rather than long-range planning. And it is easy to skip over basic moral principles on the way to accomplishing our lives' goals. Also, we can even try to convince ourselves that we are out to do great things for God while tramping over His commandments to get there. But God calls us first to give ourselves to Him and follow Him, and that will put other things in perspective (Romans 12:1,2; John 7:17; 2 Corinthians 8:5). Now it is impossible for us to do this without a work of God in our lives (John 15:5; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Psalms 127:1,2). But it is here we need to start.