Day 23 - Seeking His Will

In order to do God's will we must first know what it is. In order to have real fulfilment, security and peace of mind in our Christian walk (and these things cannot be realised outside Christ) we must have the deep down assurance that we are doing the will of God. The soul that loves God will never be satisfied with anything less. We must have a full and sufficient knowledge of God's will as it affects us: so long as a doubt about it remains, we cannot have perfect contentment. Otherwise we would not know fully that we are doing his will.

Lots of people say that they would gladly do God's will if only they knew exactly what it was. Such folk have not yet reached that point of nearness to God that is required of us: there should always be a definite understanding between God and his children. "My sheep," Jesus says, "hear my voice"; and we know that God hears the voice of his children. We can talk to God and God talks back to us;

Consequently, it is very possible for us to reach an understanding between us. You can live close enough to God to know his will--not merely to presume you know it or take it for granted because your ministry or your prayer life bears fruit, but to know it because he told you.

The staff in an office may well think they are doing what the boss wants them to do, but simply supposing the truth of what he wants does not give them full assurance. It will only be when they have met with him and listened to him expressing his desires and feelings about things that they know they are doing it.

You can know God's will. You need not spend one day without knowing if you are in his order.

The Scripture says, -

"Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." EPH 5:17.

We need to know God's will so that we can use every opportunity that comes our way to the greatest kingdom advantage. To wander along through life, day after day, without that certain and definite knowledge of being in the will of God, or without taking much thought about it or thinking little of it at all, is living on entirely too low a spiritual plane. God wants you to come up higher--high enough and close enough to know his will.

God has purchased you - you are his servant, his bond-slave. This relationship means that you are to do all you do for him.

If you employ people, you expect them to do what you want. They do not go to work each day ignorant of the boss's will. They do not always hang around and wait to be told what to do, but they inquire.

In order to know God's will, the soul must lay down her own and present herself to God as much as to say,

"I give up my way and wish always to be yours and yours alone; to love you and serve you; to do your whole will now and forever."

There must be humility in you before God; a deep inner awareness of your nothingness and your inability to accomplish anything in life by yourself. You must be humble before the Lord and confess that you are dependent on him and that your life is destined to be an utter failure unless he wills and guides and plans and works in you and with you and for you.

Without a strong desire to know God's will you will never learn it. It is those who really desire in this respect who obtain answers to their prayers; and that desire must be really great. You must seek to know: the desire must be so intense that you feel as if you must know. You must feel that you can get along no further in life unless you know.

You must also have faith. When you ask God to teach you his will, you must believe he will do it, and he will do it. When he begins to unfold his will, you must move in his order without question. He will guide you and direct your every step, and you can know that you are doing the very thing that God wants you to do.

But there is no need to guess, and certainly no need to guess and consider the answer prophetic. God has provided the truth of his word in Jesus. Here is someone who did the Father's will perfectly so to imitate him, as best and as nearly as we can, is the best way to make sure that we are walking in the will of God, in heaven on earth.