Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know the will of God? Can you imagine the peace and assurance one could experience by knowing for sure that the path ahead is the right place to be?
You have probably heard or read about the primary means of finding the will of God, right? Most sources say you can know God’s will through scripture, through prayer and through the Church. God does not leave you an orphan in the world, but has prepared means of guiding you along the Way.
So why do you suffer? Why are you confused? Why does life hurt?
You’re not alone, you know. I ask those same questions of myself. And I wonder whether I’ve missed something along the way. Others seem to fit so well into their lives. I struggle to catch up to mine. How can I think of myself as a man of God when I fail so often? How can I be rude and selfish and afraid when I claim the Creator of the universe as my Father?
This is normally the point in the story where a new idea is introduced–an “Ah-hah” moment where a fresh angle is introduced, a new teaching, perhaps, or some gadget to make everything better.
I don’t have any of that, though. But I do have this message from God, one the Spirit gave through the mouth of Azariah:
Listen to me, Asa! he shouted. Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The LORD will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. For a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without God’s law. But whenever you were in distress and turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him out, you found him. (2 Chronicles 15, Divrei-HaYamim Bet)
When we fumble in the darkness of unbelief; when we set our eyes on circumstance rather than promise … it isn’t God who has moved. He is unchanging. He is waiting for us to seek Him in Spirit and in Truth.
When I look at my prayer life, it is plain to see I have barely made a beginning. When I look at my focus on the Word, on my “Seeking first the Kingdom,” I am embarrassed. I want the rewards of the Father without having to live with Him. I want the comfort of His house, while I remain in my own.
Looked at in that manner, the solution to my dilemma isn’t far away. I’m not talking about “Salvation by works” here. I’m talking about Faith that proves itself by what it does. Men and women of God trust Him. Men and women of God seek His face.
Genuine religion is more than lip service, though. It may show up at Sunday meeting or Sabbath celebration, but the life of a disciple is formed in the prayer closet and by paying attention to the Word.
Help me, Lord, know you better. Help me, Lord, seek you more. Help me, Lord … that I, in turn, might help others.
Amen.
Thank you to Wikimedia Commons for the photo of a Rembrandt work [Public domain]