Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done

Your horse is bridled, your armor is polished, your sword hangs hungrily by your side, and your bags are packed for your big adventure. But before you can even step out the front door, options and crossroads assail you with the might of the once-glorious Roman Empire.

Missions over summer or summer session? Biology or Economy major? Go to Nor. Cal. or out of state? Serve as a bible study leader or praise leader?
There are a lot of decisions we have to make, and as we grow older, these decisions only become more significant. The playground days of Lunchables vs. hot food (cafeteria food); the high school dilemma of which college to attend; the college crisis of what career we want to pursue; the drama of choosing the special someone we want to share our life with.

With the plethora of decisions around us, how do we discern God’s will in our lives?
A wiser man than I once explained it to me like this:

In Psalm 37:4, it is written, “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
That’s cool, delight in God and the desires in my heart are mine. But then, the Bible turns around and says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Stop.
OK, wait, so delight in God, and He will give us the desires of our heart, but if our heart is deceitful and beyond cure, then aren’t the desires of my heart sinful? How can we reconcile these two passages?
The way we reconcile these two passages is this – when we delight in God, when He becomes our primary objective and our highest priority, when we no longer seek our own ends but God’s, we put ourselves in the very place where God can begin to work within our hearts.
At the place where our will and desires submit to God, He is able to work within us His very desires. So, we’ll find that His desires for us in our lives become the very desires within our hearts, and we see the beautiful circle. Whether it be in choosing a college, a career, a church, or a car, His desires are our desires, and we yearn for the very things which are within His heart.

But how can we be sure? How do we know we are in that hallowed place of God’s working? What if our hearts are deceiving us?
Well, in that case, you’ll have to examine your heart carefully, and just give it your best. Sometimes, we’ll fall. Sometimes, we’ll fail. But, we don’t give up, rather, we stand in the strength of the Holy Spirit and continue to strive in our priority of God.

And once we’ve made a decision, how do we know if we are truly submitting to God?
I’ve found that when we are trusting in God, when we submit to His sovereign authority, we will find peace. That is the answer, a deep peace and contentment in our hearts. Because when we give in to God’s irresistible call, there is no longer a conflict of interest with our own desires. We are no longer torn between two masters.

Find your peace.

And, should you come to a crossroads and not know which way to turn, pray. Pray to God that He would open His doors, that He would close the others. And move on from there.

Soli Deo gloria