The concept of “God’s will” is at the center of our faith. It refers to what God calls us to do with our resources, time and talents. It’s based on our faith that God’s path for us is true. We trust that Father knows best. I can’t tell you how many times my own compass sent me off in the wrong direction and how “letting go and letting God” led me to “the place just right,” to borrow a lyric from Aaron Copland’s “Simple Gifts.” It can be surprising to realize what our gifts really are and what makes us content. Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd when speaking to his agrarian audience. Here is what they knew that perhaps we do not: sheep can survive without the guiding hand of a shepherd, but they cannot thrive. They need to be directed to good pasture and must be moved to a new one after they’ve exhausted the nutrients in the current field. They can’t thrive on their own. Neither can we. We can get along okay without God’s presence in our lives, but we flourish when in partnership with the Divine. Discerning God’s will for us takes practice and intention. It’s more like learning a foreign language than waiting for a lightning bolt or burning bush. It’s a quiet prayer for guidance, holding our self-interest in abeyance, watching and waiting to go with “His flow” rather than our own. If it seems like a leap of faith, it is. But our faith teaches that God equips us to take on whatever He asks. “Fear not, for I am with you" from Isaiah 41 is one of my favorite Bible verses and themes.
The Bible is filled God's guidance, like a reliable map, and tells of many unlikely heroes who do miraculous things with God’s direction. Moses, a man insecure about his abilities, is chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. His initial response to God's command is: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3). After persistent encouragement from God, Moses still questions. He asks: “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” Moses remains reticent, even after a burning bush flares up in front of him and he actually hears the voice of God! Mosses eventually takes up his mantle, and the Israelites do reach the Promised Land, after 40 years of struggle. Another epic hero, Abraham, follows God’s direction to leave his happy home for parts unknown, and winds up, as God promises, with “Descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky who will be given all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed (Genesis 26). To this day Abraham is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims. No small feat. David, a shepherd boy, changes the course of his people’s history and becomes their greatest king by defeating the giant Goliath in battle, armed with only a slingshot. Goliath was a warrior so fierce that even the most experienced, battle-hardened soldiers refused to engage him. In the end, David separates Goliath from his head. And you’ve heard the story of Noah, the ark, and 40 days and nights of rain. Imagine how daft he must have seemed to his friends and family, toiling alone, building an oversized boat for years on end, under cloudless skies. He constructs the ark on “spec” for God, trusting that he and his family will need it- eventually. I’m sure he was glad he did. This is from Genesis 7: “Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.”
Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, a childless 80-something couple, laugh out loud when an angel from God tells them they will conceive a child, but they must have given it a go anyway, because nine months later, John the Baptist is born and the ministry of Jesus begins. Mary, a young virgin girl, is told by an angel that she will conceive a child miraculously. Can you imagine? Her betrothed, Joseph, must have been equally astounded and probably more than a little upset at the apparent goings on behind his back. But he is told in a dream to stay with Mary, even though custom and human nature would dictate that he reject his pregnant fiancé and maybe worse. Mary bears the child, Jesus, and Joseph stands by her and his infant son. Both he and Mary obey without complaint.
The singular example in the Bible is Jesus, of course, who walks toward the agony of the cross for His Father’s Divine purpose. What we are asked surely will take less courage and sacrifice than these notables- volunteering our time, writing a check, calling a friend, being more patient and kinder under pressure. In the words of Jesus, choosing to “Love God and love our neighbor” rather than the alternatives. And just like the heroes of the Bible, we won’t always understand the significance of what God is calling us to do in the moment, but if it’s God’s will, it could very well be something miraculous. We are called to listen, trust and find out. The song pairing is “When God Says Go!” Until next time, stay safe, be brave and keep walking in the light.
When God Says Go!
Now out in the plains of Elah
no sword in his hand,
a boy faced a giant in battle
out in foreign land.
No armor covering his heart
no helmet upon his head,
his whole army stepped back
He stepped up instead.
And God said, “David
pick up that stone and throw!”
Man, big things happen when God says go!
Now you know Abraham
he was a quiet man,
loved watching his family grow
and tending to his lambs.
With his arm around Isaac
and Sarah by his side,
he was happy to stay to home
but God said it’s time to ride.
And God said “Abraham
from you mighty nations will flow!”
Man, big things happen when god says go!
Now Noah and Moses and the whole crew,
the saints and the prophets, brother they’ll tell you too,
that you do not know what you can do,
so make sure to listen up when God’s talking to you,
‘cause there’s one thing that they all know
yeah, they all know that big things happen
when God says go!
Hey so here I am
standing out in the rain,
turned so inside out
I don’t know my own name.
But I can remember this
from a Sunday school class,
brother what’s up ahead
is more important than the past
and God says “Son, you should know,
pay attention and listen real low!”
‘cause big things happen when God says Go!
Father Knows Best