Finding God’s Will

By Beverly Hill McKinney

Driving up to the Bible College my husband, Jim and I thought Are we crazy? We had just been married for six months and here we were with no place to live, no jobs, and just enough money for the first semester of college. We were about to embark on a new phase of our lives. How had we come to this place?

When we married, Jim had stated he felt led to the ministry, but to my mind it was a far-off dream. However, soon after our wedding, Jim felt a definite call to immediately pursue this calling. Giving notice at our jobs, saying goodbye to our families, we headed off to college with no job, no permanent place to stay and just enough money to begin college.

We realized that to most people we seemed foolish. However, within three weeks we both had jobs that would last the full four years and a place to live near the campus. We knew we were in God’s will.

Looking back I can see three ways we found God’s will in our lives.

1) Prayer – Long before we were married, Jim had begun to pray for God’s will to be done in his life. We must ask in prayer for God to show us His will. Matthew 6:33: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

We see examples in the New Testament of those that sought to do God’s will. In Acts 10 Peter while praying on the rooftop was instructed by the Lord to take His word to the Gentiles. Although filled with doubt, through a vision from God, he was reassured that he was in God’s will. Paul was a man of prayer and although he felt his calling was preaching to the Jewish nation, God directed him to change direction, closed doors of seeming opportunity and directed him to the Gentile world.

2) Step Out – We would have never entered the ministry if we were not obedient and willing to step out and go to Bible College. In Joshua 3, Joshua leads the children of Israel across the Jordon. The waters did not part for them to pass over until the feet of the priests stepped into the water. In Acts 16, Paul was taking the Gospel to Asia when he was stopped and redirected his steps through a vision to the Gentiles in Macedonia. The Bible is full of examples of those who desired to do God’s will and were willing to step out and follow His direction.

3) Believe in Results – We can pray and step out in faith, but we must be willing to believe God for the results He will bring because of our obedience to His will. Joshua believed that he would be able to cross the Jordon on dry land because he was following God’s will. The New Testament Christians followed the Lord through persecution because they believed in spreading His Word.

If we are seeking God’s will for our lives, let’s begin in prayer, step out in faith and believe God will bring the results. In Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you.”

Beverly Hill McKinney writes from Rogue River, Oregon.