Nov
17
Knowing God’s Will - II
Filed Under Commentary | 2 Comments
I promised you more on the subject of knowing God’s will so here goes…. There’s God’s will as revealed in scripture, given in a clear but more general kind of way, such as His command to honor those in authority, or to pay our taxes. And then there are those areas where God grants some latitude to use our “sanctified preferences,” such as what color shirt to wear or where to go for lunch. But what about those situations where we need special guidance, God’s specific direction for my life where it really matters most?
Paul E. Little, in his pamphlet, “Affirming the Will of God,” speaks about “prerequisites for special guidance.” Little says, one prerequisite is to be a child of God, which makes all the sense in the world. If God is not our Father, why would it matter what His will is for our lives? Next Little asks, “Are you obeying God in the areas where you already know God’s will?” Again, that’s a no-brainer. A child needs to learn to crawl before he walks and to walk before he runs. But Little goes on to speak of an important issue for all of us as Christians - “Are we willing to accept the will of God in the unspecified areas of our lives BEFORE knowing what it is?” How many of us approach the matter like this - “Lord, show me what your will is so I can decide whether it fits in with what I have in mind.”
