When I was a child, we invented an entertaining game that all of the neighborhood kids loved to play at night. It was a variation of hide-and-seek that we called "Shine the Light." We scattered giggling into the darkness while the person who was "it" chased us down wielding a flashlight and tagged us by zapping us in the face with its bright beam. Some of the kids fought over who got to hold the flashlight first. Not me. I liked to be one of the hiders. I checked to see where the light was bouncing off the trees and sidewalks and ran in the opposite direction.
I play that game sometimes with God. He shines his light for me to see quite clearly the path I should follow. Instead, I gallivant off onto a completely different road. I even play a subtle variation where I spend days, weeks, months, even years, pretending to prayerfully struggle to know God's will, but it's just, you know, too hard to discover.
The only problem with that game is that it is never one God plays. My loving Father wants me to know his plan for my life. He doesn't hide himself or his will from me. If I need guidance about relationships, career choices, where I should live, ministry options, or how to negotiate the chaos of daily life, God always directs my steps when I turn my heart and mind toward him.
The only problem with that game is that it is never one God plays. My loving Father wants me to know his plan for my life. He doesn't hide himself or his will from me. If I need guidance about relationships, career choices, where I should live, ministry options, or how to negotiate the chaos of daily life, God always directs my steps when I turn my heart and mind toward him.
When I want to understand God’s will for my specific circumstances, I have found these three strategies to be helpful.
I look at what is written in God's Word.
The Bible is a great resource for understanding who God is and who he calls me to be in him. It commands me to love my enemies, forgive those who have wronged me, welcome the stranger, visit those in prison, help widows and orphans, feed the hungry, and love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. There is no ambiguity in those instructions.
I stay in touch with other believers.
Sharing my thoughts and questions with Christian friends and family, members of my small group at church, and those involved in all kinds of ministry brings clarity. I read a wide variety of books, articles, and blogs. I often gain the most insight from writers who have a different faith perspective than me. They help me see things in a different light.
I remember that God's will is always a persistent and growing awareness.
Years ago, when we were trying to decide which country God wanted us to live in to serve as international missionaries, an older missionary told us that he had learned God's call comes to different people in a lot of different ways but there is always one factor that is the same. There is a persistent and growing awareness that this is what God wants for you. The initial holy nudge you feel to go in a certain direction has staying power and that impression grows over time.
I look at what is written in God's Word.
The Bible is a great resource for understanding who God is and who he calls me to be in him. It commands me to love my enemies, forgive those who have wronged me, welcome the stranger, visit those in prison, help widows and orphans, feed the hungry, and love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. There is no ambiguity in those instructions.
I stay in touch with other believers.
Sharing my thoughts and questions with Christian friends and family, members of my small group at church, and those involved in all kinds of ministry brings clarity. I read a wide variety of books, articles, and blogs. I often gain the most insight from writers who have a different faith perspective than me. They help me see things in a different light.
I remember that God's will is always a persistent and growing awareness.
Years ago, when we were trying to decide which country God wanted us to live in to serve as international missionaries, an older missionary told us that he had learned God's call comes to different people in a lot of different ways but there is always one factor that is the same. There is a persistent and growing awareness that this is what God wants for you. The initial holy nudge you feel to go in a certain direction has staying power and that impression grows over time.
I am so thankful that God doesn't hide. He wants me to know him. He wants to show me his plan for my life. I just have to look for all the places he is shining his Light and walk toward the road he illuminates. It’s one of the ways I learn to bloom where I am planted living a faith of hope and joy.
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