Discovering the Will of God

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:3-6

How do we know the will of God?
First, we must know Him.
Without a relationship,
Your future is quite grim.

It's more than citing Bible verses,
Or regular church attendance;
It's more than just talking the talk,
Which is really a false pretense.

God invites us to walk our talk,
Our words aligned with what we do.
It's more than going through the motions,
Our actions must ring true.

First, we learn to trust in God,
A risky proposition.
But His love is unconditional,
One purpose of His mission.

The more we get to know God,
The more we delight in Him.
His desires become ours,
Instead of some selfish whim.

Relationships involve commitment,
It's our choice how far we go.
The deeper you go in your walk with Him,
The richer your faith will grow.

As you walk in step with Jesus,
You'll begin to see His will,
His thoughts, plans, and desires for you, 
Through Him, you will fulfill.

My pastor recently spoke on discovering God’s will. He said before we can know His will, we must know Him. It’s more than just knowing about God. That’s superficial and limited. Most of us admire an athlete, singer, actor, author, scientist, or some other famous person. We can spout facts about that person, but we don’t know them personally. We can’t call them, go to their house, have dinner with them, etc. We don’t know their thoughts, desires, concerns, and plans except for what they reveal to the public. Only close friends and family know them personally. We can only truly say we know about them.

The same is true with God. We can go to church, recite Bible verses, sing praise songs, and even pray. But all of that means nothing if we don’t know God on a personal level. Without a personal relationship with God,we’re simply practicing religion. Religion is form without power. (“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, ‘Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21-23) Jesus was explaining that these people knew about the power of God and told others about the attributes of Jesus. But they didn’t know Jesus Himself. They were more interested in the power His name could do for them than actually knowing Jesus personally. Their focus was more about them than Jesus. “Look what I can do in Jesus’s name!” It’s not about what we can do through Jesus, it’s about what Jesus can do through us! That comes when we form a relationship with Jesus by inviting Him into our lives. (Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and He with me. Revelation 3:20)

Once we invite God into our lives, how do we cultivate our relationship with Him? First, we learn to trust Him. It’s a risk to step out of our comfort zone. But, the more we know God personally, the easier it is to trust Him. We find safety in Him. We trust Him to guide us, protect us, and love us unconditionally. We can be completely honest before Him without fear of rejection. (The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song. Psalm 28:7)

Second, we take delight in Him. When we delight in Him, we are delighting in what He delights in. Therefore, His desires become our desires. This means instead of giving us whatever we wish for, He gives us what to wish for, based on godly desires. (Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4) He changes our heart through the Fruits of the Spirit. Where there was hate, we have love. Where there was worry, we have peace. Where there was discontentment, there is joy. Where there was anger, we have patience. Where there was selfishness, we have goodness.

The third step is committing our ways to Him. We devote ourselves to Him wholly. (Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30) There’s no wading in. When we commit our life to the Lord we’re going all in! It’s much like snorkeling and scuba diving. Snorkeling get us in the water, but we’re only experiencing the surface, getting shoulder-deep at most. We have control of our breathing through a tube that is protruding out of the water. If we get scared, tired, or lost, we can pop up any time we want. We pretty much know what we’re going to see before we go in the water. It’s shallow, less risky, and we’re in control much like religious living. But in scuba diving, we’re going way in over our heads. We are trusting in the air tank to keep us breathing, and can’t just pop up when things get rough. There is a risk, because we don’t know exactly what to expect. But, oh what we discover when we take that plunge! Things we may never have imagined! It’s deep, risky, and rewarding just like Kingdom living!

Everything changes when we ask Jesus into our heart. (I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15) Our interaction with Jesus changes because we are forming a relationship with Him. We go from servant to friend. We don’t serve in the church because it’s our duty, we serve because it’s our heart. His will in our lives starts to become evident as He reveals to us what our gifts are. Then, He shows us how to use those gifts in service to Him. Your capacity to discover the will of God is determined by the depth of your relationship with Him, based on how much you trust Him, delight in Him, and commit yourself to Him. So, if you haven’t already made that commitment, go ahead and take the plunge!

Dear Lord, thank you for showing me the way of Kingdom living. Help me to trust in you completely. Thank you for being patient with me when I am fearful, doubtful, or selfish. May I always delight in what delights you, letting go of the worldly desires that keep You at a distance. May I stay committed to loving You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Amen