In the last blogpost, I talked about the process of writing. That post in itself has made me think about
life and how often we take shortcuts when we are discerning God’s will for our
lives…(If you haven’t read the last post, have a quick look now, it will make
the later part of this post make a lot more sense!)
As I am growing in my relationship with God, I am learning
how to discern His leading more and more.
And as I do, I keep asking, how can I go even deeper? How can I know
what He wants me to do all the time and not just guess?
One of the things I have learned in the last few years is
about patience and not making decisions under pressure. There are few times since we moved to Peru
five years ago when we have needed to make a rushed decision. In fact, only one sticks out in my mind -
that of moving out of our rented house and buying a new one. It all happened in 13 days from idea conception
to moving in, and God clearly guided the way.
He gave us hints, Bible passages, visions, total financial provision
where there had been none, opened doors and miraculous happenings as
confirmation that it was all Him.
Other decisions we have to make are not so clear cut.
Take travelling for example.
I always find it incredibly difficult to book flights because I never
know when the right moment to book and the exact dates we should book. Mark is
hoping to travel to the jungle every month next year, and we need to decide
when he should travel on each trip.
Sometimes, perhaps it doesn’t matter, but on other occasions, it
will. Do we book earlier to get
potentially cheaper prices, or do we wait?
What about logic? Of course, we can look at the calendar
over the next year and look at key dates to avoid, we can see when it is most
difficult for Mark to be away (over weekends), etc. But ultimately there are
things we can’t foresee. And, yes, I
know there is grace for that, but I don’t want to just be limited to logic and
grace! I want to live by relationship! Principles – trying to do the right
thing, are good, but can become religious.
Relationship leads to life (and most definitely, an adventure!)
Bill Johnson says: “If you live by a principle, you will be
right a lot. If you live by the
presence, you can be right all the time”.
I want to be right all the time! (And yes, not just because
I was one of those kids at school who always wanted to be right, but because I
actually want to have a relationship with God where I know His heart!)
This week Mark and I discussed visiting a jungle town I
would love to visit again in January. We
both love the idea and had provisionally agreed to the idea with one another over
the phone. I then lay on the bed and
started pondering the details of the trip and a voice came into my mind: ‘Have you actually asked Me if I want you to
go on that trip? Have you asked My opinion?’.
And no, we hadn’t. What do you think? I asked, boldly. It’s
not my idea. Came the response.
Good idea? Maybe. God
idea? Nope.
And so I was reminded just how important it is for us to
take time to ask God His opinion. (Didn’t
the Israelites suffer from presumption too?) And for us to actively seek
God’s will in our prayers. To spend time
(note the word ‘time’ here, not ‘a moment’) wrestling, thinking
about, discussing, praying, and seeking confirmation for an idea.
And so here is where the relationship to the last post comes
in – how often do we include God in making our decisions? How often do we
specifically acknowledge thinking and praying time (and actively engage in it)
before we ‘write’ the plan? Or do we just do our research and then begin
writing?
And God is reminding me too, that it isn’t my responsibility
to find our His will – it’s His responsibility to show me. My responsibility is to seek Him. And to leave anxiety to one side.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every
situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
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Other blogposts on discerning God's will:
On enjoying the journey:
2. When I can't feel Him (Stop being a baby!)
4. Selah
