When You Want To Know God’s Will

One night the famous Bible teacher F.B. Meyer stood on the deck of a ship approaching land. As they guided the vessel in, he wondered how the crew knew when to to safely steer towards the dock. It was a stormy night, and visibility was low. Meyer, standing on the bridge and peering through the window, asked “Captain, “How do you know when to turn this ship into that narrow harbor?”

“That’s an art,” replied the captain. Do you see those three red lights on the shore? When they are all in a straight line, I go right in!”

Later, F.B Meyer wrote, “When we want to know God’s will, there are three things which always need to line up, the inward impulse, the Word of God, and the trend of circumstances. Never act until these three things agree.”

I think one of the most asked questions today by Christians is “How do I know God’s will for my life?”

Never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light. There are certain truths you know to be right that God has shown you in your life, but often when faced with a time of darkness, we doubt these truths. When seeking God’s will for your life, always keep this in mind. The Bible teaches us not to “lean on our own understanding.”

This is where most of us get in trouble. Fear often demands that we make sense of everything right now, when God is teaching us something through the trial. Many answers are not known until He reveals His purpose at the end of that difficult season. My experience with God is that He sometimes works outside of our own understanding making and molding our lives so that our will becomes His.

I like F.B. Meyer’s advice on seeking God’s will. Examine your inward impulses, seek the Word of God on the subject, and examine the circumstances that are outside of your control to see where your control ends and where His leading begins.