Genuine Reliance Upon Almighty God: "What Would You Have Me to Do?" - Part One

Genuine Reliance Upon Almighty God:

“What Would You Have Me to Do?” – Part One

Have you ever really asked God, “What would you have me to do?”  Many disciples with longstanding histories in any churches and generations of legacy in the Christian faith have not asked Almighty God that simple and straightforward question.  More amazing, countless clergypersons assume they have.  Religiosity, rituals, righteousness and repetitive attendance at worship easily lend themselves to this assumption.  However, it is not a certainty that faithful practice of spiritual disciplines and growth in discipleship development necessarily mean you ask to discern God’s.

What do you do when your will conflicts with God’s will?  Admitting this clash of wills offends the prevalent righteousness of many disciples.  Of course, I want the will of God to unfold in my life!  In their book, A God Centered Church, Henry T. Blackaby and Melvin D. Blackaby record a funny and challenging story of a couple who prayed for a dream house into which they moved fully furnished to ideal specifications.  Within two years, the couple felt strongly that God was urging them to sell their long-awaited and deeply desired dream house and go on the mission field.  Like Jacob, this couple wrestled long and hard with Almighty God before yielding to His will. 

Additionally, a clergy colleague in an exhorting sermon on stewardship tells the story of a couple who saved seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) to purchase their dream house.  Simultaneously, a woman in their congregation needed the same amount of money for surgery.  They faced a dilemma as to whether they would obey the Holy Spirit’s leading and give their entire savings toward the surgery or whether they would purchase of the house.  Further, I attended a missions meeting at the annual session of The General Synod of The Reformed Church in America where a Christian brother shared his story of having saved the money to buy an antique Ford Thunderbird convertible.  As God would sow seeds of providence in his life, shortly before buying the car, he and his wife went on a missions trip to Haiti.  Overwhelmed by the extreme poverty he saw, this brother felt the Holy Spirit challenge him to give the money to missions in Haiti.  Hoping she would encourage him to buy the car as a reward for his many years of faithful service as a husband, father and disciple in the Church, he asked his wife for her thoughts.  She encouraged him to seek the Lord for His will.  These three examples demonstrate practical challenges for disciples in asking genuinely what God’s will is.

This question frightens many disciples as its answer may not accord with their instincts and ambitions.  Asking the question, “What would You have me to do,” leads inevitably to other queries.  What is the cost of doing God’s will?  Will it conveniently fit into my life?  How does accomplishing God’s will enrich my life?  God’s will does not always seem to make sense.  How do I follow Him when I have so few details?  What will be the ultimate outcome?  Will I succeed?  Will God embarrass me?  Will I receive any tangible reward or recognition for my service?  These very human questions often prevent well-intentioned disciples from to fulfilling “The Great Commandment” of loving the Lord God with all of their heart, mind, soul and strength.

God lives with us in the messiness and craziness of daily living.  Often our circumstances appear to eclipse God’s presence.  How do we ask genuinely, “What will you have me to do,” when a litany of challenges and adversities bombard our minds and hearts?  Bills begin to pile up on the dining room table.  Just when you think you have totaled your indebtedness to the penny, you discover another financial liability exceeding thirty percent of the previous sum.  At work, strained relationships jeopardize your job.  The resulting anxiety permeates your marriage and family life.  Your children wallow through murk and mire of adolescent indifference to grades and household chores.  You repeat the same admonitions, encouragements and lessons a million times.  A proper diet, consistent exercise and good sleep are very nice ideals.  Reliably, your cars need some type of unexpected maintenance at the most inconvenient time.  Emotionally, you ride the rollercoaster of fear, bewilderment, expectancy, and hope.  Still, you seek resolutions for these intertwined and complex challenges.  How do you ask for a clear revelation of God’s will in the midst of an emotional, financial and spiritual mess?  Would you not understandably relegate that question to being some esoteric and theological inquiry?     

How we ask genuinely to know God’s will as we struggle with multiplying and regrettable circumstances?  You stand to lose your job and primary source of income.  A renter refuses to remit thousands of dollars of arrears.  Bills mount on your kitchen table.  Someone saws off your catalytic converters necessitating an insurance claim and an unnecessary expenditure of five hundred dollars.  Adding insult to injury, your automobile company decides to discontinue your policy due to an excessive number of losses.  You know the truth of the old saying, “When it rains, it pours.”  Nevertheless, as someone seeking greater spiritual maturity, you ask Almighty God, “What would you have me to do at this juncture in my life?  What is your will   for me?”  The confluence of foregoing circumstances ideally positions you to humbly about God’s will.  These bleak circumstances coerce you to rely genuinely upon God.