Thursday, January 12, 2012

Finding the Will of God

In his book Finding the Will of God, Bruce K. Waltke challenges his readers to rethink the concept of "seeking God's will for your life." For many people it is normal to talk about "finding God's will for their lives" as if God held some hidden secret about your life. It's not like that, but neither does God send down a letter with an outline for the next 10 years of your life.
It would be so nice if God would just reveal His plan for our lives so we'll know what's next. Right? Well, in some ways He does. We have been given the Bible which is a Christian's guide for life. All scripture is given to us for "doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). We have been given the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit and the ability to talk to our Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers.
In his book, Waltke emphasizes the importance of our relationship with God. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4) As we spend time in the Word, seek the Lord in prayer, meditate on scripture, and live according to His commands, God will draw our hearts closer to His and our desires will be more like His.
Our personal relationship with God shouldn't be something on our to-do-list each day, ready to be checked off, it should be a part of the way we live.

"As you develop a heart for God, you find that your desires change and become consonant with the heart of God."

"Instead of asking God to 'reveal His will' we should be asking Him to develop His character of wisdom in us."

"When you really love God and your neighbor, you can be very comfortable following your desires because they are not self-ambitious and self-centered."

"The person who truly knows the Lord develops a love for Him and a closeness to Him, so that He begins to shape one's Character and values. Soon He is filling up your thoughts with His thoughts, so that you have the mind of Christ and live according to Him. When you love God you live in His will."

"God's will is that you be holy, wise, mature, joyful, prayerful, and submissive."

P.S. I highly recommend the book.