Recently I started going through a devotional series by Henry Blackaby called Experiencing God. His whole push is to get us to realize that the focus of our lives should be on God, and not on ourselves. He points out that we might actually focus more on ourselves than we think. When it comes to calling, for instance, Blackaby states that we ask the wrong question.
We tend to ask “What is God’s will for my life?” Right?
I’ve asked that; plenty of times.
Blackaby suggests that instead of asking that, we should ask, very generally speaking, “What is God’s will?”
Semantics?
In John 5, Blackaby points out a very key verse in understanding, knowing, and doing the will of God. Jesus says in verses 17, 19-20:
“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working…I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.”
Jesus first reveals that God the Father is always at work, and then he says that the only thing that he spends his time doing is what he sees the Father doing. In other words, Blackaby would say, doing the will of God for Jesus meant watching to see what the Father was up to, and then joining Him in His work.
So, maybe we need to start asking ourselves the right questions, as Blackaby would also say. Instead of asking God to bless my in what I want to do, maybe I should ask Him to show me what He’s already been up to.
And then maybe I should ask Him to help me change my priorities in order to join Him.
– Take sometime to ask the Father to reveal to what knowing and doing His will is all about.
– Then take some time to ask Him where He’s been working around you.
– And then prayerfully consider when/where/how you can join Him.
(Taken and adapted from Henry Blackaby’s devotional series Experiencing God, pages 11-13)