Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10
While seeking to discern God’s will by searching God’s Word for precepts and principles, there are times when we still remain unsure. What then? James offers this advice:
James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
(1) There will be times when every one of us lacks wisdom regarding God’s will in a given situation. So these verses apply to us all!
(2) When this happens, ask God! God never turns His children away for asking. Let us be sure that we are asking God, as it is easy to seek wisdom from any of the many voices in the world.
(3) Believe that God gives His wisdom generously. He receives no joy in keeping us in the dark about things we need to know. There are, of course, questions that will remain unanswered until the Lord comes again, but rest assured that the Lord delights to reveal what we need to know. If He does not, He wants us to trust that He knows even when we do not.
(4) We must ask in faith, believing that He knows, that in most cases He will show us, and that in those instances in which He does not clearly reveal His will, we can and must trust Him!
When we simply do not know, even after seriously seeking to know His will, trusting means we make the best decision we know to make. In faith we do not second-guess ourselves. And if He later shows us we were wrong, we repent and do what we can to correct our course when His will is revealed.
A footnote to this: When we are not sure from scripture, we should not say, “The Lord told me…” Instead, let us humbly say, “I sought the Lord’s will in His Word and in prayer. I believe it is His will to do [this or that], but I could be mistaken.” Why this approach? Too many claim that “God told them,” only to learn later that Lord did not tell them! When that happens, God is incorrectly blamed. But when we say “I believe it is God’s will that…”, we rightly assume responsibility for misunderstanding God’s will.
Next Time: There is more than one kind, or aspect of God’s will.