How to Know God's Will for Your LifeSample

To know God is to know the will of God

A friend of mine named Geoff owned a small dairy farm in the Adelaide Hills near where my wife and I now live. We dropped in to see him one day and he showed us around.

As we approached a group of cows, Geoff began softly calling to them by name. Each one responded to her name and lifted her head or walked towards him as he spoke. I had never seen a dairy farmer treat his cows in such a way. They were like members of his family!

In the Middle East in the first century, flocks and herds were small and shepherds then knew their sheep by name. So when Jesus compares himself to a shepherd, twice he says that he knows his sheep and his sheep know him. How? Because they know his voice (John 10:14-16, 27). They don’t recognise the voice of a stranger, not even that of a hired hand. But they know the shepherd.

The issue is not so much how well we know God’s will as how well we know him.

We get to know him by spending time with him in prayer. As we pray with both the mind and the spirit, with consistent, devoted, yearning, passionate prayer, we deepen our communion with him.

We also know God better through his Word. As we linger longer in the Scriptures, he becomes more real to us and so we learn to hear him when he speaks. The Psalmist said, ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ (Psalm 119:105).

Knowing God is crucial. The boy Samuel was right there living in the house of God but he still didn’t realise who was calling him because he didn’t yet know God (1 Samuel 1:7).

In the Song of Songs, the beautiful Shunamite hears her lover’s voice but is too slow to respond. Like the disciples of Jesus (Matt 26:40-43) she is half asleep, although her heart is awake. When she finally opens the door to him, he is gone (Song 5:3-6). With alarm she searches frantically for him until she finds him.

It is not enough to recognise the sound of God’s voice; we must also be quick to respond to it. The better we know him, the better we know his voice.

What Next?

·There is no better way to get to know someone than to spend time with them. What practical things can you do to make your communion with God more effective?

·Memorise (with the reference) John 10:27.