December 4 I Tuesday

Ezekiel 47-48

1 John 3

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  —Proverbs 3:5-6

When discussing the will of God, our first question is often, “What is the will of God for my life?” This question keeps us as the focal point, looking to God to give us understanding for why our lives are what they are. But the question we should be asking is, “What is the will of God? Period.” The focal point here is,
“What is God doing that is bigger than me of which I am called to be a part?”

Some people think that circumstances are what prove they are within the will of God. For example, someone may be convinced it was God’s will for them to attend camp or enter the mission field because God has supernaturally provided them the funds at precisely the right time. But the opening verse contains the promise that when we acknowledge God in all our ways, “He will make our paths straight,” or in another translation, “He will direct our paths.” It is true we often only recognize how God has worked in our lives in retrospect, but we do not need to wait to know if we are in God’s will. Experiencing the will of God involves trusting His ways, seeking His wisdom and relying on His Word.

At the heart of living in the will of God must be trust. God has the right to operate in our lives without explaining Himself, but that is a challenge for many of us. We would often rather walk by sight, not faith, though Scripture teaches the opposite. We have to learn to trust God, letting go of our need for clear explanations for everything that happened today or for a plan for the days ahead. Instead, we are to trust Him and seek His wisdom, not leaning on our understanding as the highest understanding because our thinking is fallible. We think and live in humble submission to God, letting Him direct our paths in His timing.

We will only start to know God’s will for our lives when we are living within His will for all people as revealed in Scripture. The Bible is God’s primary way of speaking to us, so if we want to know the will of God, we have to get our hearts and minds into the Word of God. As the psalmist writes, “Direct my footsteps according to Your word” (Psalm 119:133). As we live within this revelation, trust the God who gave it and acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths according to His will and give us the privilege of being caught up in His purposes for the world.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise to direct my paths. I acknowledge You as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my agenda to Yours.