As a young Christian in high school I struggled over how to know God’s will for me. When someone asked me out, I asked God what I should do. I didn’t hear Him say yes or no, so I got frustrated. When opportunities arose to get a part-time job or join a certain team or club or go on a study-abroad program, God was equally silent. When it came time to decide where to go to college, still no guidance from God.
I read in the Bible about all the times God spoke directly to people, and I was envious. When Gideon asked God for a sign to verify God’s call, God obliged by making Gideon’s fleece dewy while the rest of the ground around it remained dry. And a second time, when Gideon was still unconvinced, God kept the fleece dry while the ground was covered in dew.
I never got any signs like that.
To this day there are still decisions I wish God would weigh in on.
On the other hand, I never got any unusual or challenging commands from God either. He never came to me in a dream and told me I would be pregnant by the Holy Spirit or appeared in a burning bush asking me to lead a slave revolt.
So I have learned God’s relative silence means that I have freedom to choose. That’s not a bad thing. It’s a great gift, in fact. Plus, He assures me that I can’t mess up His plan for me no matter what choices I make, which is also good news.
Today’s verse reminds me that God isn’t entirely silent however. If I want to know God’s will for my life, I don’t need to look any father than this verse. God wants me to tell everyone about His love. As long as the other choices I make don’t impede this command, God allows me to choose whatever I want. There will still be consequences of my choices that I will need to live with, but that’s life.
Dear God,
Thank you so much for the marvelous freedom you have given me to run my life as I see fit, for the most part. Thank you for today’s reminder of the one clear command you have given me. Help me to keep it as a top priority in my life when evaluating how I spend my time and how I resolve the decisions that I need to make.
CamDevo 