Lesson 27: Practical Guidance to God’s Will
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
 
We have learned much about the Will of God for us in these lessons, but now comes a common question: How do I recognize the Will of God for me when I read the Bible? How can I know what God’s will is if I should go to school, or get married, or buy a house, or a thousand other questions we have in our life? The Bible does not say, “You, John, must go to this school for 3 years to learn electronics.” We find a great relationship-answer in Colossians 3 to give us such guidance.
 
Verse 15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” Take your situation to Jesus in prayer. This is not a one-prayer-for-one-day kind of praying. Instead, you seek Him for your answer. Matthew 7:7 says we keep on knocking, keep on asking, keep on seeking until we have His answer. If God answers you with an “uncomfortable feeling” about doing or going, listen to Him in prayer.
 
Verse 16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” Spend time reading the Bible during this time of seeking. His word is a “lamp to our feet, and a light for our path” (Psalm 119:105). He will guide you as you ask and seek and knock.
 
Verse 17: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Thank Him for teaching you as you learn to trust Him through this process.
 
From this point on, His Will for you will be found in “command” words in the Bible. These are words such as let, seek, knock, pray hear, trust, do not lean, and so on. For example, our beginning verses for this lesson are excellent words to put into practice as you seek God’s Will.
 

It looks like a great promise when you are seeking His will for what He wants you to do – and you are correct. However, too many of us want Him to make our path straight or clear before we trust Him. We want to decide for ourselves, by our own understanding, if His Will is truly what we want before we take that step. We want to acknowledge Him AFTER we know whether we understood Him correctly. We only want to pray when we do not understand, but want to walk in our own understanding as long as we think we know best. We want our answer NOW rather than tomorrow or next week or next year.
 
God often builds our faith in Him stronger in the moments when we must wait for Him. He also builds our faith when we follow His Will and discover great trouble in the following. Just as Jesus’ disciples, whom He had sent into the boat to get to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41), and a storm came that threatened to drown them all, sometimes we think that trouble means we are not in God’s Will. But the disciples were exactly where Jesus had sent them. When you go where Jesus sends you, know that He knows exactly where you are and what is happening to you. His Will for you is to learn to trust Him, even more than it is to do a thing.

 Question: How can we recognize the Will of God for us when we read the Bible?
Let’s pray: Lord, help us to trust You! Help us not depend on ourselves for understanding! Lead us and guide us and make our ways straight. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Let's reflect on, even memorize: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” ‒ Proverbs 3:5-6