In our journey to the Heavenly Kingdom and when we face a decision or tribulation, these questions always come to mind, "How do we choose so that it's in accordance with God's will?” or "What is the will of God?”. When we are faced with personal dilemmas such as choosing a job, choices in marriage, or dealing with an illness or accident, we are often at a loss as to what to do, or even wonder what God's will is. Some people gradually lose their faith in relying on God when they don't get a clear answer. Instead, they would turn to follow the choices of others or solve problems with limited resources.
Is God's will really so difficult to understand? Paul once said, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?’" (Romans 11:33-34). As we can see that God's will is sometimes difficult to understand. Therefore, when we are faced with a decision or tribulation, besides praying, we can also seek God's will in the following ways.
(1) Attempt by Faith
When we do not know exactly what God wants me to do, we cannot just sit back and wait, but we can try different things by faith provided that we are not violating the principles of the Bible. It is about actively dealing with the choices or sufferings we face, rather than waiting passively, being pessimistic, or even rejecting all opportunities. One of the important mindsets we must have is not to have too much of a sense of gain and loss. Because we do not understand God's will for the moment, so we must not think "this is God's will" or "this must not be God's will", but rather "If it is the Lord’s will, ......" (James 4:15). This way, we can face any situation that God wants us to go through with courage.
(2) Waiting Patiently
When all possible methods and directions have been exhausted and God's will still has not been revealed, patience is the lesson we need to learn. “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.” (Psalm 25:3). If we fail to wait patiently and rush to make decisions or do things that are not pleasing to God, and thus enter into the temptation of the devil, the snare, or the discipline of God, and end up going around a circle and back to the same place, are we not asking for trouble ourselves? Therefore, while waiting patiently, we must still pray earnestly for God to strengthen our faith so that we will not lose heart, and God will protect us in any situation we face.
(3) Receive With Obedience
The outcome of the event is what we are interested in most, but God's will is not always the outcome we desire. In such cases, we should have the mindset of Job that is recorded in Job 2:10, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”, and receive God's will with obedience. Often, we take our own will as God's will and ask God for it, and then we lose faith because we cannot get our satisfactory outcome. However, God is omnipotent, and if we can submit to and accept our present situation, which we may not be satisfied with, then we will surely see the manifestation of God's power in the future.
Conclusion
After all, we are weak, and in our incomplete state, we always hope that our choices or situations in this world will meet both God's requirements and our own satisfaction so that we can naturally follow the path that God has paved for our whole life. In fact, such a beautiful life can come true as long as we are careful and humble to seek and do according to the biblical teachings and God's will in this short and bitter life. Surely, we will be able to receive the crown of glory in the end.
Comments