Topic: Two Steps Toward Knowing God’s Will [RICK WARREN Devotional 23 March 2020]
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“If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him.”
James 1:5 (TLB)If you want to know God’s will, then you can start with these two steps:
1. Admit that you need guidance.
Psalm 25:9 says, “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” (NIV).
If you’ve never felt God guiding you, maybe it’s because you’ve never admitted that you need his guidance. You go to work assuming that you know what to do without praying about it. You make financial decisions, vacation plans, or career decisions before stopping to pray about them. If you’re single, you might even ask someone out on a date without first asking for God’s guidance.
You think you know, but you might want to stop and admit that you need guidance, because it’s the first step in getting God’s will for your life.
2. Ask God in faith for directions.
The Bible says in James 1:5-6, “If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” (TLB).
Notice there are two keys to knowing God’s wisdom. First, you’ve got to ask the right person: God. You don’t ask your hairdresser, mechanic, or radio talk show host. You need to ask the right person!
Then, you ask with the right attitude: expecting God to answer. Have you ever asked God to lead you, but you didn’t really expect him to? You must ask, expecting God to answer.
God honors faith, and he promises wisdom for the next step of your life.
- What are the big decisions you’ve made about your life recently? How did you know it was God’s will? How did prayer affect your decision?
- Who do you go to when you need help discerning God’s will? How does that person point you back to God’s Word and prayer?
- Why do you think God wants you to pray expectantly?