Seeking to find God’s will in any given situation is not meant to be as much a mystery as people make it out to be. The journey does begin with a spirit of humility. King Jehoshaphat expressed humility when the country was surrounded by enemies, so the king called for a nationwide time of fasting and gathering to pray.
2 Chronicles 20:5–12 (ESV) — 5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10 And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— 11 behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Notice that last phrase: “we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” That is the attitude of a person who is ready to receive direction from God, a person who is trusting in the Lord and leaning not upon their own understanding as we are directed in Proverbs.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV) — 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
God has promised to direct us and give us wisdom in making decisions if we will but ask; but in asking we must believe He will answer by providing the wisdom in applying God’s word (His revealed wisdom) to our situation.
James 1:5–8 (ESV) — 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) — 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Finding God’s will in any situation is not just groping in the dark trying to find the mystery door, rather it’s a process of humbling ourselves before Him, asking and believing He will direct us realizing He has given us His word, His Holy Spirit, and a mind to reason and understand.
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) — 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Let’s take then your circumstance in which you are trying to make a decision as you are seeking the will of God. First, humble yourself before God through dedicated times of prayer to seek Him. Secondly, make seeking His known will through the study of the Scriptures a priority. The study time is not using the word of God as a crystal ball looking for some sign, rather it’s gaining knowledge of what is and what isn’t God’s will from precept and example. Third, as you seek God for wisdom in applying His word to your circumstance do your research in looking at the options, taking note of the pros and cons of each choice in the matter as you spread it all out before Him. As you apply these principles God will make known the right choice by the peace He provides.
James 3:17 (ESV) — 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Notice how this peace He provides in directing your path is in the pathway of wisdom that is pure as He will not be leading you in a way contrary to His word. Then notice the other attributes listed in the way of wisdom from above. In all these steps it’s important to keep copious notes because as James 1:5-8 warns us that when we seek wisdom we must act upon the wisdom He gives, and we know that once we act upon a decision there will be doubts arise. To counter the doubts, we go back to the notes we used in our seeking and reasoning process.
The last step is to thank God through the process for His leading you in all circumstances which has influenced you or caught your attention to gain insight into His will.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV) — 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker
