Discerning God’s will is about listening

How do you make tough decisions?

Do you rely on gut feelings or past experiences to shape your life’s course? Many Christians do, and end up wondering whether they are truly living in God’s will, or simply asking God to bless choices they’ve made for themselves.

I thank God that his will for our lives is not some hidden mystery. He doesn’t ask us to guess his will — like throwing darts at a wall of balloons, hoping somehow we hit the right one.

Discerning God’s will is about listening to him — carefully. We must believe that God still speaks to his people today, as he always has. And he wants us to hear his voice.

Today, God speaks to us in a lot of ways, but primarily through his word — the Bible — through prayer, and through circumstances. But we can miss his message if we’re not paying attention.

Consider the story of Moses and the burning bush from the book of Exodus.

Moses was tending sheep for his father-in-law when he came to Mount Sinai and saw a bush “burning with fire.” He knew this was a supernatural occurrence, because the bush was not consumed. The first thing Moses did was slow down, turn aside, and examine the burning bush: “Then Moses said, ‘I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.’ ” (Exodus 3:3).

You know, we’d do well to follow Moses’ example. How often do we rush through life, merely enduring circumstances, not really slowing down to examine what God is up to? If we expect to hear God’s voice above the din of our busyness, we’ve got to slow down and turn aside from self and place our focus on God. Spend time in prayer, in his Word and meditate on his truth.

It’s interesting to me that the Lord didn’t speak to Moses until Moses had turned aside to look and listen: “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him…” (Exodus 3:4). Does God have our undivided attention? He often will not speak until he does.

When the Lord called out to Moses, he instructed him to remove his sandals. Moses was standing on holy ground. Yes, this was just a patch of dirty mountainside, to be sure. The place was not holy because of its location or appearance. The ground was holy because God himself was there. God warned Moses not to barge into the presence of holiness rashly, or unprepared.

Are there some worldly things we need to let go of before we can really focus on God’s will? Is there sin in our lives that needs to be washed away, like dirt from a sandal-clad foot? Is our desire to discern his will rooted in an ongoing relationship with him, or do we just barge into his presence from time to time when we need help?

Whatever our circumstances, we can be certain that God has not left us. He is here. And he is holy.

Look how Moses responded to God’s holiness: “And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:6). Moses feared God. Fearing God involves something other than terror. The Bible says “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

Moses had a sense of reverence and awe at being in the presence of God. We’re to approach God with adoration, reverential awe and, yes, submissive fear. We cannot have divine knowledge and guidance in life until we understand who God is in relation to us: He is holy and just. We are neither.

I’m told there are harbors in Scandinavia that are so difficult to navigate that harbormasters have erected poles that must be lined up in a captain’s eyesight to ensure safe entrance. The captain waits until all three poles appear as one, then he proceeds into the harbor.

When we’re seeking God’s will, we must consider whether the voices we hear from our prayers and from our circumstances line up with Scripture. God will never lead us down a path that is contrary to his Word. We ignore God’s direction at our own peril; we’re in danger of steering off course.

God told the Hebrew people through Jeremiah that they would find his will, even amid suffering and uncertainty, if they truly searched: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

That means we’re got to slow down, get rid of those worldly trappings that distract us and offer ourselves before a holy God in reverence, awe and obedience. Only then can we proceed safely into the safe harbor of his will.