I’ve always had this nagging suspicion that God, being the Good Father that He is, isn’t entertained by a cruel school-yard game of keep away from Brian and thus hasn’t encrypted His will for my life with complicated mind-games and nearly impossible challenges. I tend to believe that my struggle to know the will of God has been more of a seeing the trees for the forest kind of issue. That is, that the Creator who breathed into existence all the vast complexities of this universe, has bestowed upon each us such a simple purpose, which in our rigorous efforts to discover, we often dismiss like a candy wrapper for the candy within. Though we deeply desire it, and once held it in our very own hands, it now lies waiting patiently in a rubbish bin while we obliviously search near and far for something much more fantastic. It’s not vanity or selfishness on our part, which determines that God’s will for our lives must be somehow glorious. It’s more like a young baseball player convinced he’s ready for the fast-balls of the major league. We’re engaging the wrong struggle. Discovering the will of God shouldn’t be an epic challenge like finding some hidden ancient treasure. So don’t focus on the search for so much as the fulfilling of God purpose as this is where you should feel stretched the most and subsequently where you’ll experience the growth. I think that’s why the Psalmist uses language like “Make me know…” and “Teach me to do your will…” rather than “Let me know and I will do your will.” God’s good and perfect plan isn’t elusive. Although we often need him to tune our focus to see it in it’s simplicity, it’s more the doing, which requires discipline and perseverance, that we’ll need some help with. So pray this day, like the Psalmist, Lord, make me know and teach me to do your will. Amen
