How do I know God’s will?

One of the toughest things to do in our humanness is to yield our wills to God.  We want what we want, and that typically drives our decisions.  Gratefully, Jesus prayed in the Garden that He wanted God’s will to be done, not His own human will (though as one of the Persons of the Trinity, Jesus DID truly desire what the Father wanted).  Saying “yes” to God and “no” to our own fears and desires isn’t all we’re up against as we try to live obediently as Christians.  How do we even know what God’s will is?  I’m not used to God speaking clearly from the heavens to direct me – and I’m guessing you don’t usually hear from Him that way, either.

God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit by reminding us of what we know of His history, character, and plans as they are revealed through the Bible.  If you don’t know much about what’s in the Bible then you won’t know much about God or His will in this world.  That makes it tougher for you to be a part of His plans for our world, so what do we need to do to better see WHAT God is doing and HOW we fit into things?

The first challenge is to simply read the Bible.  Not just the “red letter” parts in the Gospels, but the whole Bible.  Allow God to engage you in the stories of success and failure in Genesis.  Consider the difficulties endured in Judges and how God brought victory to His people.  Learn the lessons of Ruth and Esther, of Ezra and Nehemiah.  Marvel at the tales of the prophets, like Daniel, Elijah, and Elisha.  Are those folks too lofty for you to identify with them?  They are just like you.  Read that again.  Don’t believe me?  

The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.  James 5:16-18

In the New Testament, we’re reminded that there was nothing supernatural about the Twelve who were chosen by Jesus.  Peter was always getting ahead of himself.  Thomas had doubts; James and John fussed over who would be in charge; and Matthew was distinctively different from many in the group – he didn’t even know how to fish!  Normal folks.  So were Lazarus and Mary and Martha and Mary Magdalene.  Just like you.

All of the stories show us how believers lived life, and not all of the tales are tidy.  Anyone can make a mistake and head down the wrong path.  Even Paul did that.  Courage to stand in our faith can ebb and flow sometimes.  It did for Peter.  And John Mark.  Just like you.

Today I was seeking some answers from God about a particular issue.  What did I do?  I prayed and asked God to give me something from His Word that would offer direction for my concern.  What did He do?  Immediately after praying, a story from Scripture came to mind – prompted by the Holy Spirit – which spoke clearly to my concern.  That’s the way God does it.  We study to know Him.  We study the Bible to understand His heart and His truth.  We study so we know where to look when we need direction for ourselves.

You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.  2 Timothy 3:15-17

What was my concern?  I’ll keep that between me and God for now.  Just know that when you seek answers for life, look to the Author of life itself.  No matter the problem; no matter the question; God has the answer.  Just ask.

Jacob

A Woman and a Donkey

As we near Christmas, it would be logical to assume a story bearing a title like this would concern the pregnant Mary on her way to Bethlehem. But not so. Didn’t your mother teach you to never “assume”? This story IS about a journey, though. In fact, the journey my wife and I have embarked on has caused us to travel more than 4X as far as Mary and Joseph journeyed before Jesus was born. Of course, our travel was not by donkey. More on the donkey later. 

Has God ever led you to step out of faith? He did that to Abram when God challenged him to go to a place he didn’t know and settle there. Our journey is a bit like that. Have you ever been led by God to do something about which you weren’t really certain the purpose or the outcome? After all, God isn’t obligated to explain His purposes to His servants, He just expects us to obey. Our journey is a bit like that. 

Have you been placed in situations when you asked God what He was trying to accomplish and all you heard back was…nothing? How could God speak so clearly when directing us and yet when we seek clarification, we have a hard time hearing from Him? Here we are in the middle of what God is doing, but we aren’t sure how we fit into His plans. Ever been there? Our journey is a bit like that. 

Not all Christ-followers are patient. We should be, but we aren’t. We long to know how God’s plans will impact us, and to know just what His will is for us. So we ask Him. And we discover that we have been asking the wrong question all along. God has a plan, but our problem is that His plan is so much more complex and amazing than we could comprehend, so He doesn’t waste time explaining Himself to us. He just speaks, and we obey. Our journey is a bit like that. 

So what about the donkey? Here’s the story from Scripture as Jesus arrived in a small village outside Jerusalem five days before He would be crucified: 

As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.  “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.” Matthew 21:1-3 NLT 

Before Jesus could appropriate the young donkey colt He would ride towards Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday, an unnamed owner had to purchase a donkey, feed it, and care for it during a long pregnancy. He had to serve as midwife when the young male donkey was born and then care for both animals until the Master required them. His service to Jesus wasn’t without cost or effort. The owner had to deal with a stubborn animal and had to have a willingness to get his hands dirty. 

It’s become more and more apparent that the move God led my wife and me to take isn’t about us, but about Him. We servants of the Most High may have lots of questions and very few answers. But sometimes, our obedience is all about being the donkey. It’s about being in the right place when the Master needs us. It’s about being a piece on the chessboard of Kingdom-work, moving according to the King’s direction, and being in place to execute God’s strategy when the time comes. Our journey is a LOT like that. 

Why the title, A Woman and a Donkey? If you knew us, you wouldn’t even have to ask the question. 

Waiting in place, 

Jacob

If I Were an Eagle...

If I were an eagle, God would become the wind, so He could lift me to soar safely to my destination.

If I were an otter, God would become my fast-moving stream, carrying me along while I dive and swirl, finding joy in how He made me.

If I were a lamb, God would become my grazing pasture to provide for me, nourishing my body day after day.

If I were a flower, God would become my sunshine and rain, warming and sustaining me until I bloomed as He plans.

If I were a tree, God would become my earth, allowing me to sink my roots deeply in Him, holding me tight through even the strongest storms.

But I am not an eagle, nor an otter, nor a lamb, nor a flower, nor a tree.  I am a human being.  So God became one too - in the person of Jesus Christ, that He might...

     Lift me to soar safely to my heavenly destination,

          Carry me along to find joy in how He made me,

               Provide for me, nourishing my spirit day after day,

                    Warm and sustain me until I bloom as He plans,

                         Hold tight to me through even the strongest storms.

No matter what you might face, just know that He came to do the same for you.  He is Risen!

Jacob

Hey! Wake up!

Does it seem like you’re having a nightmare and you just can’t seem to wake up?  We were just going about our business and then WHAM!!  The circumstances of life just hit us over the head!  None of us had planned an extended home stay, but that’s what we’ve gotten.  Whatever we had planned, there’s a NEW plan.  Are you feeling a bit swamped and overwhelmed?  A bit afraid?  I know we’re all in the boat together, but what if we peek into a different boat for perspective?

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.   And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.   But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”      Mark 4:35-40

The disciples were going about their ordinary day-to-day business of getting from point A to point B with Jesus.  Yet a huge storm interrupted their journey and, at least to THEM, seemed to threaten their lives.  Aren’t there times when you kind of feel like the boat you’re in is taking on water?  That the storm is too great to make any headway?  That’s EXACTLY how the disciples felt.  And where was Jesus?  S-L-E-E-P-I-N-G.  They were indignant!  Didn’t Jesus care about them at all?  How could He let them just DIE as they were trying to serve Him?

There are always lessons to learn from the pages of Scripture, so let me just boldly make some points for us both:

1.   The storm wasn’t as bad as it seemed.  The disciples weren’t going to die; they just felt like they might.  Whatever you’re facing right now – all the swirling debris and chaos – probably isn’t going to kill you. 

2.   Jesus cares more about your faith than your circumstances.  In fact, He USES the challenges we face to GROW our faith.  I suspect the disciples got the point, but the greater questions is, “Do I get it?”  What is God teaching me in the midst of THIS storm?

3.   The peace and calm we seek is only found in Jesus.  It was (and is) only Jesus who could calm the storm.  Note that they didn’t wake Him and ask Him to calm the storm.  They only woke Him to accuse Him of not caring about them.  Don’t be guilty of doing the same.

I want to quickly add that not all of the swirling and chaos in our lives is there because God wants to use it to grow us.  Some of the worry we have is because we haven’t prepared for the struggle we’re facing – either financially, physically, or spiritually.  If you’re worried that you’ll make it through, or if you share the fear of the disciples in the boat and wonder if God cares, there is an easy answer.  Stop what you’re doing immediately, close your eyes, and look for Jesus.  He’s there, ready to be the anchor for your soul; your resting place; your life-preserver, if need be.  Though He rested on the boat that day with the disciples, He does not rest or sleep now.  He is ALWAYS praying for you, just waiting for you to reach out to Him.  Because He cares for you.  Thank God that no matter how severe the storm, that never changes.

In the boat with you,

Jacob