Ephesians 5:8-10, 15-17—For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord . . . Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Twice in my life I have experienced occasions where I had no clue what God’s purpose for my life entailed. The first time this occurred, I had graduated from seminary firmly believing that God was calling me to the missionfield. He did not. He blocked the door and called me into launching a church in another state and pastoring it—something for which I had no experience. I spent a restless year before the Lord made His purpose clear that I was to pastor.
I live now in the second period of waiting on God to reveal His will—a season that is also approaching a year. The danger in this time of waiting is to conclude that God does not care. He does. But often His will takes us in directions we would not have chosen or understood. Often He must work on our character or teach us vital lessons we will need for the next phase of our journey.
The second danger is to think that what makes us important is what we do. It is not. Our value to God is in who we are. What matters most is not that we draw esteem from our work but that we grow in our relationship to Him. It is this very truth that sustains and encourages me during a time of running a race where I have no clue where the road will go next.
The third danger is to grow tired of waiting for God to reveal His purpose and to launch ahead on my own. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5,6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Wisdom’s child is Patience. Wisdom counsels “wait on God and move as He leads.” Why? Because the days are evil and my own understanding is flawed.
If you, like me, are in a period where more questionmarks fill the jar than answers, be encouraged. We learn what God’s will is by listening and by faithfully spending time with Him. Never despair of finding His purpose. If we seek Him, He will be found. If we knock, He will open the door. If we ask, He will answer. That’s a promise of Christ not a marvelous maybe. If all the world’s banana trees blow down, it’s still true that there is no greater joy than walking in God’s will!
Inspiration
