i just finished reading bruce waltke’s finding the will of God: a pagan notion? well, maybe not just finished but recently…i needed something to do on the day-long journey back to alabama for my christmas break.
as i was reading the first few pages of the book, i posed this question to myself: is there any portion of scripture that actually speaks to the will of God, or simply individual verses? what makes this whole concept of finding God’s will so hard or such an unattainable task is that I have been making up my own way of going about it. since there does not appear to be any format set forth within scripture, i have often attempted to make up my own, based on how He has revealed Himself to people in scripture in the past.
in reference to the vast quest of christians searching for the will of God, waltke states “perhaps the problem is that not enough christians are walking in close relationship with the God who loves them” (12). waltke makes a good point here. it is easier to simply go about this “searching”, whatever that may look like, rather than to spend the time necessary to draw close to God. this quest occurs out of our desire to “find” God because our proximity to God is what is lacking.
since moving to california to attend fuller, i have been doing some “soul” searching, asking God what the next step is He has for me. this process has driven me from useless seeking, to pursue knowing the God who has created me for His glory and His purposes. when making decisions, waltke engages in a process of examination where he evaluates “how God has called me to live my life, what my motives are, what He has given me a heart for, where i am in my walk with Christ, and what God is saying to me through His word and His people” (16). i appreciate this process of evaluation—one that looks at not what i deem as important only nor one that looks just at God’s ways, rather one that incorporates both. to me, in this phase of my life, waltke’s words are aptly spoken.
God is not hiding from us, nor is He withholding His plan for our lives. instead, He has given us what we need to know Him and what He desires, we just need to act on what we have: read God’s word, develop a heart for God, seek the advice of wise friends, look for God’s providence, use our brains, and accept divine intervention when given…
read God’s word…
waltke states “it has become easier to read the latest popular book on God or the church or the family than it is to read the Bible” (63). i have even seen this to be the case in seminary—we seek the opinion of scholars rather than looking to see what God might have to say on the subject, quickly adapting our views to those whom we regard with little or no regard to God’s views.
in response to people asking him how can they know the will of God, waltke poses the question: “how much time have you spent reading the Bible” (64)? when we do not spend the time with God in reading His word, we cannot know God’s heart, nor can we know God’s desires. the process must begin here with knowing who God is so we can know what He desires of us.
develop a heart for God…
waltke claims that “the heart that loves God completely can be trusted to have godly desires. when you really love God and your neighbor, you can be very comfortable following your heart’s desires because they are not self-ambitious and self-centered” (92). really? maybe i am just not there yet. is my heart not deceptive above all? i feel as though i must constantly weigh my own motives and line up my desires with those of God found in His word.
“christians seem to be afraid of talking about the desires of the heart, for fear they will be led astray by satan, the deceiver” (102). for me, it may be a quite different fear…a fear that these desires are simply my own or a fear that these desires will not come to fruition.
seek the advice of wise friends…
the classic example is that of king rehoboam who trusted the counsel of his friends rather than the wise advice of the elders. do i trust in friends my own age, in friends in a similar state as mine, or friends with analogous ambitions that will simply tell me what i want to hear? or do i seek the advice of those older, more mature spiritually, whose lives look like what I desire mine to look like one day or, better yet, one God desires?
waltke talks about several prominent pastors “falling” in recent years and how this is a result of lack of accountability and wise counsel in their lives (114). this may be true, these pastors may not have individuals in their lives with whom they can talk; but these pastors could simply be faking it. these pastors may not be willing to come clean before others and God.
look for God’s providence…
waltke advises to “always leave room for things not working out quite the way you planned them” (125). this is so hard for me but i am reminded to be open! “sometimes the providence of God, working through time and chance, prevents us from doing what we think we would like to do. at other times it presents us with remarkable opportunites we never expected” (126). God’s plans are best, despite all of my efforts at making my own good enough. waltke challenged me in the way in which i view things. do i have the mindset of viewing unplanned situations as a barrier or opportunity? instead of seeing them as a barrier to my own plans, i ought to view them as an opportunity for God to evidence His plans. waltke goes on to say that we must “learn to trust God in spite of your circumstances” (139). it is not that i find myself facing difficult circumstances, but simply learning to trust God when life does not turn out the way i had planned, hoped, or desired. for me, simply adding “Lord willing” (based on james 4.13-17) to my vocabulary, instead of selfishly making my own plans, would help shift my mindset to one that is more fully open to God’s lead in my life.
use your brains…
“…the Lord often chooses a course other than the one I would choose….He chooses a path that is supernatural, one that causes me to grow in character, and that is best for me. Logic and reason are not the priorities in God’s program of guidance” (147). the logic portion of the process is the final stage. For me, i know this is the proper balance because i can easily rely on my own judgment first.
waltke’s final challenge is to “make decisions based on overall strategy….have a plan; know what God wants you to do with your life. then you will have a context for making long-term decisions. this will significantly improve your ability to make decisions in light of God’s overall plan for your life” (158-59). do i have one of these? what is it? if i do have one, is it s it so vague that i will not know if it is achieved? sometimes i do have a strategy and and an overall plan…but not a life plan. if i knew my precise giftedness and how God has uniquely shaped me, this would be easier to articulate. i am making it my aim this next year to find the answers out so that, with God, i am able to formulate an overall strategy and a lifetime plan.
accept divine intervention when given…
waltke reminds us that “He never calls in the New Testament to ‘seek His will,’ but rather to seek His kingdom and do His will” (169). what a different way of looking at things. i want to purpose to seek His kingdom, doing what i know to do.
excerpts taken from:
waltke, bruce. finding the will of God: a pagan notion? grand rapids: eerdmans publishing company, 1995.