Meditation for Monday
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:17
As an elderly Christian sat contentedly in his seat during the intermission between the Breaking of Bread and the Sunday school, a younger Christian, almost out of his teens, came over to talk. The young man enjoyed the company of the old man, but he had more than just visiting on his mind on this occasion. He was looking for advice and guidance, and he was hoping his old friend could be a help. He had a question to ask, a question that thousands of young Christians before him have asked. How, he wanted to know, could he know the Lord’s will for his life? What an important question! How could the old man possibly come up with an answer? What kind of answer would you have given? Despite the size of this question and the complexity of a possible answer, there are some guidelines we need to keep in mind that will help us to know and fit into the will of God.
If you read our text carefully, you will note that it does not refer to God’s will for our lives. It simply refers to understanding what the will of the Lord is. Be assured that the will of the Lord is vastly bigger than my life or yours. The will of the Lord is being worked out in this world by millions of Christians, is being resisted by demonic powers and by opponents of the cross, and is being watched by countless angels all the time. The will of God is that we would all be saved, a will that is being resisted by the proud and rebellious. The will of God is that every Christian would be conformed to the image of Christ, a will that encounters conflict with the flesh. You and I can never be going against the will of God when we are involved in seeking souls for Christ, and when we are making progress in our walk toward pleasing our Lord. The will of God for us as individuals will never lead us outside the will of God in general.
The will of God will also never take us outside the Word of God. If we are obedient to the Word, we will be more likely to be closer to God’s will for us. Although God directs us in a general way through His Word to be faithful and obedient, we cannot expect Him to direct us in specific ways if we violate any of His fundamental principles of obedience.
Submission to God’s word and obedience to our Lord’s commandments are essential elements to knowing the will of God. Unless we know His will for everybody, we cannot know His will for ourselves. -Jim MacIntosh