Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
In my experience, the path to knowing God’s will can feel challenging and often obscure. And if I’m honest, many times I’ve made the focus of my prayers and thoughts solely on arriving at God’s good and perfect will. That may be fine, except I neglect the important steps of recognizing and responding to God’s character in surrender.
In my quest to know His will I often miss out on what He desires: my trust. He doesn’t demand trust-less, blind obedience from me like some cosmic dictator. No, he motivates me by his incredibly sacrificial love for me; he longs for me to respond in obedience and surrender. This is when I will find the will of God. When I reflect upon the character of God and choose to relinquish my will to his.
The order matters. First, I recognize the truths about God’s character. Then, based on his trustworthy character I surrender my life, my will, my desires. Only then, I know and live in the will of God.
How about you? How have you typically understood and sought after God’s will? Take a moment today to reflect on one aspect of God’s character (perhaps his mercy, love, or grace). Pray a prayer of surrender, asking him to motivate you by his character to surrender to his good and perfect will.
By Ellen Rosenberger
