Recognizing the will of God – Part 7

Sharpening your sensitivity to God’s leading- 1       

Bible Reading: Hebrews 5:7-14

I grew up having a phobia for water. So I never attempted to swim as a child. But one day during my teenage years, I went to a swimming pool and saw something that destroyed my phobia. A young boy was afloat on water. I could not see any of his body parts moving and yet he wasn’t sinking. It appeared to me as though he was sleeping on water. I was so captivated and motivated to the point that I said to myself – “one day I must also be able to stay afloat on water without any aid”.

The next day I was in the pool. I really wanted to learn. I asked my friends to teach me how to float. They laughed sarcastically and told me it doesn’t work that way. I needed to start from the basics. First, I learnt how to stay in water for some minutes, later I was taught how to paddle my legs, then I started learning most of the swimming strokes. The day I ‘slept’ on water, no body taught me.

My story should remind you of the behavior of most believers. They get saved and never cultivate the habit of recognizing the will of God. But when it is time to get married, choose a career or vocation, or venture into something they think will have a great impact on their lives, they start seeking the will of God. Their first attempt in the pool of knowing God’s will is to ‘sleep on water’, without learning the basics. No wonder they experience so much pain that some even begin to doubt the existence of God.

Hebrews 5:14 (GNB) is so sweet; it says “Solid food … is for adults, who through practice are able to distinguish between good and evil”. I want you to pay attention to the fact that it is through practice that we are able to know the exact will of God. How do I practice? First, you have to learn to stay long in the ‘waters of the word’. God has a general will that applies to all believers; study the Bible to know it. This will form the bedrock for knowing His specific will that concerns to you alone.

To be continued …

– tope aladenusi