The Psalmist Teaches About God's Will

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I guess I never thought about this passage as talking about how to find God’s will, but it does. Let’s read Psalm 25:4-5:

Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me:

for thou art the God of my salvation;

on thee do I wait all the day.

Chopping these two verses into short phrases, we get:

• Ask God to show us.
• Ask God to put us on the right road.
• Ask God to teach us.
• Acknowledge Who God is: the God of my salvation.

And, here’s the clincher: “I wait on You all day long.” It literally means, “I hope, wait, look to You all day long.”

Finding God’s will involves prayer for Him to show us the way. It involves the desire to be on the right road. It’s a disposition to let God teach us His will. And, it means we acknowledge His sovereignty and Who He is—our great God.

God’s will is revealed to those who are looking to Him, trusting in Him, all day long.

It’s interesting to talk to those who are sincerely seeking God’s will. Some ask their pastor. A few have even asked me. Of course, my answer is that they need to know for themselves. God promises that he will show us what we should do.

Here are a few Bible passages for finding God’s will for any decision:

• Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).
• Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
• A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps (Proverbs 16:9)
• For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
• In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
• For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men (1 Peter 2:15).

I believe that we don’t know God’s will sometimes because we’re just not really willing to be led by God. We’re afraid what He might want of us. Or, we like living as we are. Or, we’d like to do our own thing without thinking about God’s will. We’d like to please our flesh—pleasure, emotions, and feelings.

But, God gives us clear guidelines for knowing His will. Read this next passage and then compare it with the verses from Psalms at the top of this post:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,

that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;

and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.

For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea

driven with the wind and tossed (James 1:5-6).

Ask God what He wants you to do, today!