Seven years ago yesterday my life changed forever. That’s the day a 49-year-old man who had worked in the business world all his life was chosen to become the full-time pastor at a church in Indianapolis.
What in the world was God doing? And why in the world was I going along with it?
Who abruptly changes careers at 49? Who uproots his family from St. Louis, the only home they had known, to go to another state?
For that matter, what in the world was the church thinking?
Who hires a pastor with no Bible college or seminary degree? Who hires a businessman who’s never had a full-time ministry to be its pastor?
Thinking back, none of it should have happened. But it did.
And why? Because we were all convinced this was God’s will. The jolt to the Little family was too enormous to describe. And the jolt to the church was no doubt equally large, considering my steep learning curve.
Why did we do it? Because we were all convinced this was God’s will. It’s just that simple.
Which inevitably leads to the question, “How did you know God’s will?” While I can’t speak for the church, the following verses were my guiding light.
“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.”1
Sounds simplistic, but I believed that by earnestly seeking the Lord, by trusting Him with all of my heart, that He would—somehow and someway—lead me in the right direction.
And then there was my life verse at the time:
“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”2
To the best of my ability I was delighting in the Lord, truly seeking His will, no matter what it may be. Thus, I believed that His desires would become my desires.
So…how did I know God’s will? You probably won’t like the answer: I just wanted to do it. Put another way, it just seemed like the right thing to do.
Yeah, I know, no neon signs, making fleeces or casting the lot. Even though the thought of moving my entire family and entering full-time ministry was an intimidating thought, it was the right thing to do. It seemed right back then and it still seems right.
I’m sorry if you expected something a little more “spiritual” or insightful. It’s just that sometimes I think we over-complicate how to know God’s will. If we’re trusting in the Lord with all of our heart and delighting in Him, I believe we’ll find the yellow brick road for our decision.
So how about you? Are you seeking God’s will on something? If so, I encourage you to re-read and meditate on the verses above.
But, if you’re really serious about finding God’s will, then follow this link to an article I wrote on how to know God’s will. It will give you more insights into how to discern your heavenly Father’s will for your decision.
One last word: When you discover God’s will, please have the courage to follow through on it. If you think this middle-aged man wasn’t scared to death seven years ago you’re wrong. But you know what? Everything worked out fine. And it’ll work out fine for you, too.
God’s will be done!
1 Proverbs 3:5-6
2 Psalm 37:4
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