How to Find God’s Will When He Sends You Into a Storm
Spring has finally settled upon the beige blanket out the backdoor. New life springs from last year’s decay, and I find myself asking how to find God’s will for this next season of life.
I’m reading about miracles when I’m faced with a paradigm shift that shakes me.
Throughout most of my adult life, I’ve held onto the often-uttered maxim that says this: “The safest place in the world is the center of God’s will.”
What I see on this spring afternoon is something very different. It’s hidden in the words of a text that is so familiar I almost pass by without a second thought. (And isn’t this just what we do? We walk straight past the Truth because it’s hidden in the familiar.)
On Discovering God’s Will
Jesus just performed one of his most well-known miracles. He fed five thousand people with just a handful of food. As night descends, he sends his disciples across the lake in their small boat while he climbs a mountain to pray.
The disciples make their way across the water and find themselves in the center of a storm. The wind batters the boat, and the waves threaten to capsize it.
How to Find God’s Will When He Sends You into the Storm
We typically focus on the next part of the story, the part in which Jesus approaches on the water, pulls Peter from the depths, and calms the storm. But on this sunny afternoon, I see only the beginning of this story: Jesus intentionally sent his disciples into a storm.
This story gets me thinking about Jesus’ character. It becomes blatantly clear that God’s will is not always safe.
Just two paragraphs before the account of Jesus sending the disciples into a storm, in Matthew 14:1-12, we see that John the Baptist is beheaded for preaching Christ. It was preaching Christ that drew the attention to John, landed him in prison, and ultimately resulted in his gruesome death.
I search the Scriptures and find countless examples of those who laid down a safe life to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. The Apostle Paul spent years in prison and was killed for the sake of the gospel. Steven was stoned. Most of the disciples were martyred.
So what’s this mean for my comfortable Christian life here in small-town America?
1. We discover how to find God’s will when we redefine “safety.”
In our culture, safety implies protection from danger. It implies a life in which risk is minimal and there is little chance of pain, suffering, or injury. If we replace the word “safe” with the synonym “secure,” it’s easier to glean spiritual truth from this statement: “The most secure place is in the center of God’s will.”
The most secure place is in the center of God’s will. #Godswill #followingGod #Jesus Click To TweetWe are secure when the One who holds the future has us exactly where he wants us. Our lives are secure when we are obeying the Lord. We are secure when we walk with the assurance that we are following God with our whole hearts.
This kind of security has little to do with protection from physical harm or even death. This kind of security rests in the truth that we will not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Our trust is in the One who holds eternity in his hands.
Have you replaced the idea of God’s secure grip with your own expectations for a “safe” life? This might look like keeping your mind closed to the possibility of following God to a new job, a new relationship, or a new season of life that feels just a little out of control. Sit with this question for a moment, and allow God to speak into this part of your life.
2. We discover God’s will when we accept the invitation to follow God into risk.
I can step out in faith and risk when I cast off the idea that my Christian life is to be safe.
I recently wrote the most vulnerable article I’d ever written for a prominent publication. The thought that I needed to write the article had been pressing on me for over a year.
When I finally pressed the send button, nothing about it felt safe.
Following Jesus doesn’t often feel like a safe endeavor. He might call me to pray with a stranger or share my faith with someone who intimidates me. He might lead me to travel overseas. His guidance could nudge me to step into a new career endeavor.
Risk is never easy, but it’s always worthwhile.
We don’t take risks because we’re seeking adventure. Instead, we follow God into risk when he leads us outside our comfort zones for his purposes.
Let’s pause to pray about where God is calling us to follow him into risk today. Learning how to find God’s will starts in the small moments of everyday life. He might not lead you to Africa, but he will begin in your small suburban community.
3. God’s will does not negate trouble in life.
Jesus promised trouble in this world. He reminded his disciples that they’d need to lay down their lives to follow him, that there would be a cost, and that there would be personal sacrifice involved.
None of this is safe; however, the Lord uses our obedience to conform us to the image of himself, and this is worth the price.
Are you questioning God’s will in a hard season of life? There are times when trouble comes as a result of our sin, but there are other times when we face trouble because we live in a broken world. If you are facing trouble, refuse to grow offended. The hottest fires refine the purest silver.
~~~
I rise from the deck where the warm sunshine falls like mercy and go inside to check my inbox. A message awaits from the prominent publication to whom I sent my vulnerable article. They want to publish it. I agree, sign their forms, and step into a boat that’s headed for a destination I have yet to behold.
A Free Devotional Book to Help You Learn How to Find God’s Will:
Are you in the middle of a difficult season? My gift to you is my 20-day devotional, Glimpses of Hope for When Life Lets You Down. This devotional will lead you through a daily reflection, Scripture reading, and questions for thought and reflection. It will help you bring your broken heart to God and process your emotions in the safe place of his presence. It’s yours by clicking here.
These two books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can buy your paperback or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBook on Amazon right here.
