Knowing and Doing God's Will
by Os Hillman
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 (Prov. 3:5-6).
George Mueller was a pastor in England during the nineteenth century who knew what it meant to live a life that was focused on knowing and doing the will of God. God led him in a walk of faith that has become an incredible testimony to all who hear his story.
Whenever he lacked for something, he prayed for the resources. During his ministry in Bristol, England, George built four orphan houses that cared for 2,000 children at the time. When he died at the age of 93, over 10,000 children had been provided for through his orphanages, and he had distributed over eight million dollars that had been given to him in answer to prayer.
How did he know and do the will of God?
“I never remember a period that I ever sincerely and patiently sought to know the will of God by the teaching of the Holy Ghost, through the instrumentality of the Word of God, but I have been always directed rightly.” Here is how George summed up the way he entered into a “heart” relationship with God and learned to discern God’s voice:
1) “I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter.
2) Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
3) I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined.
4) Next, I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
5) I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.
Thus, (1) through prayer to God, (2) the study of the Word, and (3) reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.”*
Consider these five steps when discerning God’s voice in your life.
*Henry Blackaby, Claude King, Experiencing God, Lifeway Press, Nashville, TN, p. 33,34
Wow. Thank you Father for giving me insight today! You are so good!
Dear Os,
Thank you.
My personal mission statement, arrived to through prayer, pastoral guidance and much reflection about the path that the Lord had already been taking me generationally, through 44 years of life, several careers, and especially through His providing me a great helpmate for a wife, is “quality education to all”, especially for those who otherwise would not have access to it unless God and His peoples intervene.
Thus my wife and I are getting ready to leave for Bolivia next week to start implementing an educational program there for children and families, that makes use of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) green little XO computers. By many circumstances of God’s provision we are starting on our own, with the help of American and Bolivian believers and secular enthusiasts.
Early morning on Tuesday I had a most excellent phone conversation with a possible long term supporter who possibly will fund the project to become 3 times larger than what I had been planning for since last year. A couple hours later, the OLPC Foundation announces a major meltdown, firing half its personnel, and thus putting into question a lot of what will happen henceforth.
I am subscribed to this daily Scripture email service. As events unfolded this week, it was very much the Word and circumstances (points 3 and 4 in your posting) that were showing me we were on the right path in not giving up. In the middle of a deluge of other emails that told how bad the situation was, what we could do about it, etc., the Scripture had the right word for the day – every day (I should journal that, it was amazing).
I am writing just to tell you that, indeed and if I ever had a doubt, God is in control, and if we only let Him do what He will do for us, and we let Him speak to us and listen and follow Him, things will be according to His will, ¡número uno!
As we get on with packing, I came to read what my Scripture email had to say (on Sundays it links me here), and I hardly could have found better encouragement in these confusing times than to read about George Mueller.
Thanks be to God, at all times, and to you today for this inspiration
Yama (and Deb) Ploskonka
In His Name bound for La Paz, Bolivia, on January 19th
Thank you for this reminder of how a life dedicated to doing God’s will can change so many lives. I so enjoy these daily reminders of God’s love and providence in our lives.
Thank you for your insight. I am presently working on my prayer life … ‘the knowing and the doing’ from a weekly bible study teaching. God Bless.
“A Special Prayer” copyright 2008 John J. Rigo, upcoming charity-centered poetry book “Passion Amidst Apathy”
Lord, Bless this day.
Bless me.
Weaken my enemies,
so that I may be pleasing to You,
in rendering Your Word to others.