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We ask ourselves all kinds of questions every day: "did I remember to put the toilet seat down" (especially before going to bed); "did I lower the garage door as I pulled out of the driveway for work today", etc.
Then, there are deeper questions: "is there life elsewhere in the universe" (no, family reunions don't count); "what purpose does my life have"; "is there a God, and if so, what is He like?"
But there is one question I believe we often fail to ask; and that is, "what is the will of God for my life?"
We live in a "Don't just sit there; do something" culture. We don't want to be like the ancient Greeks who, while endlessly theorizing about the form of the perfect bridge, would be conquered by the Romans who would build perfectly functional bridges and cross them with their troops. So acting is not the problem. Acting before asking, is.
1 Samuel 30 offers a great example of how asking before acting leads to a victorious outcome. David, before becoming king, was hiding from King Saul and living in the Philistine town of Ziklag. He and his men had been away from town, when, upon returning to Ziklag, found that the Amalekites had raided them.
Verse 2 reads, "They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone." As a result, David found himself in a whole other predicament.
Verse 6 reads, "David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God." Here was a critical juncture in this situation. Why?
- In the heat of a situation it is tempting to simply respond out of emotion. David needed to step back and get God's peace before he said or did something he might regret.
- He not only needed to get God's peace, he also needed God's direction. We don't know the future, and there is no guarantee of success just because we feel wronged (justified or not).
Verse 8 reads, "Then David asked the Lord, 'Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?' And the Lord told him, 'Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you.'"
As we read the rest of the chapter, we see how David got back everything that had been taken from him. And this is just one example in Scripture where such asking before acting resulted in a favorable outcome.
Along with this example from Scripture, though, I've heard several other methods over the years people use to try to answer this question of finding out God's will; here's just a few:
- With moving out of state to pursue a job opportunity, one guy told me; "Hey, it's a no-brainer; if it pays more, take the job!"
- A good friend once said "If I don't know what to do" (in any given situation), "I do what seems right" [in light of Scripture, of course] "and trust it will turn out well."
- Make a list of the pros and cons. Here, you attempt an informed decision based on the advantages and disadvantages of a given choice.
With option #1 - Though making more money can be a good thing; I've seen many instances where people allowed the money to be the indicator of God's will, only to find the move was a mistake.
With option #2 - My friend's advice was being given when my wife and I (through prayer) felt that we were supposed to do something which didn't honestly seem like a good idea. I know, we don't have to stop and pray to ask God whether we should do something we know is sin; or, while a decision may have to be made immediately, we simply may not have the time to stop and pray. Here, we simply must do what is right according to God's Word. Still, David's situation likely wasn't leaving him much time either; and yet, he still made time to seek God's will in the midst of a tense situation that was requiring immediate action.
With option #3 - While this practice can be helpful, as we saw with option #2, the "pros" don't always indicate the will of God either. In other words, God's will isn't always convenient.
This, then, is my point. How often do we actually take the time to include God in our decisions?
What do you think? Can we know for sure that we can know for sure about God's will?
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perry meade
