Finding the Will of God

Proverbs 2:3-9: "And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as hidden treasure then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright. He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-every good path."

What would you do if someone told you that you had a treasure chest full of precious gems in your back yard? I believe that most of us would find ourselves immediately rushing to the nearest home improvement store to gather up whatever tools we could find to help dig the treasure up. I'm sure that we would be passionate and persistent about this pursuit.

I believe that this is why God used this imagery in these verses to reveal to us how we are able to find the knowledge of God and understand what it means to "fear the Lord." When we seek the Lord above all other persons and things . . . when we seek the Lord passionately and fervently . . . when we give to the Lord the firstfruits of our time in seeking His will, then we will find Him. Jeremiah 29:13 is one of my favorite verses, for it tells me that if I seek the Lord with my whole heart, I will find Him. The verse does not say with half of my heart or a quarter of my heart; it says with everything I am and everything that I have . . . all of me.

Many in the church today do not know the will of God for their lives, simply because they're really not looking. They're frustrated with God because they don't believe that He's open to sharing with us. God is not a cosmic bellhop who will jump at our requests whenever it is convenient for us. We should not expect God to reveal His will to us if we're not willing to invest in pursuing Him.

You might ask, "how then can I passionately pursue God this way?" Well, I'm glad you asked. One tangible way that I have seen the Lord working in my life was when I surrendered the firstfruits of my day to Him. In the past, I would attempt to have a devotional time at the end of the day; however, I found myself worn out and ready to get some sleep. In effect, I was saying to God, "Okay God, you get the leftovers of my time . . . after work, exercise, family, some television and e-mail stuff. Now give me some great revelation."

The scriptures that I would read at night didn't seem to penetrate my heart like I knew that they could through the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I determined to commit myself to seeking the Lord early in the morning (and I'm not a morning person by nature), when I was fresh and receptive to a good word from God. At first it was quite a challenge, but as days passed, the drudgery became a delight. Now I can't wait to have my personal devotional time with the Lord in the morning, because He was revealed so much of His will to me; and these revelations have strengthened me to press on even further in my intimacy with the Lord.

Blessings to you today and in days to come as you strive to seek the will of God. Remember that when you give your best to the Lord, He will respond with clarity of purpose for your life.