How to Know God's Will for Your LifeSample

Plod with God

The great missionary pioneer William Carey once commented to his nephew that it had occurred to him that someone might decide to write his story. ‘If they do,’ said Carey, ‘tell them this. I am a plodder. I can plod. To this I owe everything.’

I identify with this. Over the years, I used to tell my students the same thing. In fact, when people ask me for hints as to how to be successful in ministry, I often answer just this: ‘Plod with God’.

Plodding is not racing or running or leaping or jumping or dancing or skipping. It is simply walking steadily, one foot after the other.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament talk often of the Christian life as just walking. Here are just a few examples.

·Walk before me (1 Kings 9:4)
·Walk in the name of the Lord (Micah 5:4)
·Walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7)
·Walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16, 25)
·Walk in good works (Eph 2:10)
·Walk worthy of your calling (Eph 4:1)
·Walk in love (Eph 5:2)
·Walk as children of light (Eph 5:8)
·Walk in Christ (Col 2:6)
·Walk in the light (1 John 1:7)

Christian living means being on the move. Just steady, just plodding, but moving.

If we are to explore the will of God, we need to keep walking. Leo Harris, esteemed Australian Pentecostal pioneer, often used to say, ‘Even God can’t steer a stationary vehicle.’ If we expect God to direct us, we must get going.

If we just sit around dreaming or even praying, we get nowhere.

Someone may say, ‘What if I start moving and finish up going in the wrong direction?’ Well, God can easily redirect us. But if we are stationary, no matter how much the steering wheel is turned, we still finish up in the same spot.

What if we begin walking and stumble? If you are a parent, you will know that when little ones start walking, they will have many tumbles. You can protect them if you like and keep them in their cots, but that would just leave them stunted and disabled. You know they will tumble but you still want them to be up and about. We may trip many times as we walk with the Lord, but that is just part of the process.

To find and do the will of God, we have to be in motion. To walk by faith, in the Spirit, in the light, in love, with Jesus, in good works, worthily and courageously.

We need to plod with God.

What next?

·On a scale of one (little) to ten (much) how would you rate your current experience of walking (a) in faith (b) in love (c) in the Spirit (d) in good deeds?

·Memorise Galatians 5:25 (including the reference).