How to Know God's Will for Your LifeSample

‘Spreading a fleece.’ Guidance or guess work?

Gideon had been clothed by the Spirit so powerfully that he rallied men from several tribes to fight the Midianites. Even so, he was still scared. So he spread out a fleece on his threshing floor and asked God to assure him of victory by making the fleece wet with dew overnight while the floor remained dry. The next night he asked the opposite. Both things occurred as Gideon asked and he went ahead and returned victorious (Judges 6:33-40).

As we notes previously, circumstances can determine what we do. You may be going to a conference, but your flight is cancelled. Your car may break down. You may become ill. God can use such incidents to direct you although it is wise not to depend on them. They may simply be vicissitudes of life that could happen to anyone.

Sometimes we pray foolishly. ‘Father, if you want me to do such and such, please don’t let it rain today.’ We don’t stop to think that farmers or gardeners might need the rain.

Or we may say, ‘Lord, if you want me to make that phone call, please let the next traffic light be red.’ A more mature prayer would be to do what the Bible says and ask for wisdom (Proverbs 4:7).

Gideon’s action of putting out a fleece was different. First, he asked for God to do something virtually impossible. Second, he asked for signs that would be obvious to anyone else. Third, there was no way anyone could easily falsify those signs. If we are going to ‘put out a fleece’, we should bear these factors in mind.

A well-known example is the story of Jesus walking on the waves of Galilee. Peter wanted to be really sure it was Jesus. So impetuously he cried out, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water’ (Matthew 14:28). Immediately, Jesus replied, ‘Come’. There was now no doubt.

When I was young and inexperienced in the ways of the Holy Spirit, I was trying to learn how to know it really was the Holy Spirit leading me. Sometimes I would feel a strong urge to interpret an utterance in tongues or to prophesy. So not knowing what else to do I would pray, ‘Lord, if this impulse is really from you, please make it stronger. If not, please take it away.’ Then I would act accordingly. Or I would say to myself, ‘If no one else has spoken out by the time I count to ten, I will.’

Nowadays, I have learned to recognise the stirring of the Holy Spirit more readily. But this kind of praying was helpful then.

As we have seen previously, there are many promises in Scripture that God will direct us in all our ways. One of the best is Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

What next?

·What do you think of the following ‘fleece’? To what extent is it valid? ‘Lord, if you want me to take this job, please have the CEO personally call me before five p.m. tomorrow.’

·Memorise Proverbs 3:6 (with the reference).