God’s will
Everyone needs purpose. I don’t mean just a reason for being, though that is also important. I am talking about, for Christ followers, an eternal purpose. What is it that God has intended for my life in terms of things that are eternal. What does He want me to be that will be part of His eternal purpose?
Too many people are happy with just existing. This sounds like a terrible decision to make, to just settle for a life that exists and does nothing more. It is not necessarily that, but it does not connect us to some reason for who we are and what we are about. We in God’s Kingdom need to know what we are about and how we are bringing benefit to the Kingdom.
God’s will is a very difficult subject. It is not one I claim to have all the answers to nor a definitive position. I did coin an analogy many years ago that helped me understand some things and that I pass on to you. Perhaps you will get some insight about this subject from this post.
Picture a river. It could be the river of life or whatever you want to name it.
Some people make a fire on the bank and declare that they are going to stay there until they find God’s will or it is revealed to them. And there they sit. They are content with just existing in the big scheme of things. They might even have a great career, but they are just existing, waiting for God to come to them with His will and purpose.
Other people run up and down the bank looking for God’s will. They continue to move up and down the long riverbank in hopes that they will somehow find God’s will and purpose for them. They change occupations and places and lives frequently in their search for the purpose that they lack and are longing for.
But God’s will is not about either of those things. It is about putting your foot into the river on a rock. Then you look for the next rock and so on. Sometimes the rock is wobbly and you have to change rocks or is covered with moss and you have to take it very carefully. Sometimes you even have to go back to a former rock. Sometimes there is no rock and you have to step onto a log or piece of wood. Soon you find that you have moved on a meandering path in life and yet the entire path is part of His will for you.
There have been times in my life when what I was doing did not seem to be part of God’s plan for me. I discovered after the fact that ALL things work together for the good of those who are called according to His purpose. Everything in a life that is committed to God’s will (the way across the river) fits into the plan.
So why does God not show us the path in advance? Why not give us His whole will for our whole life? The answer is simple. If He did, we would try to take shortcuts. We would circumvent not only His purpose, but would miss out on the path and its windings across the river.
God has a purpose for each of us. Step onto a rock and find His purpose for you. Fear to step out will not amount to anything. Fear of the rock itself will not lead to anything. Only stepping onto that first rock by faith will begin to reveal what it is that God has in mind.
