Shrubbery AblazeSample

Seek His will from the beginning

Miracles have a special way of demanding our attention. A bush on fire—who cares? But a burning bush that doesn’t burn up? Whoa. That’s something. A man on a cross? Thousands of criminals faced the same sentence by the Romans—but a crucified man whose sealed tomb is empty? Hang on now. Wisdom says to stop and investigate. Take it in.

We can go wrong in two ways during this part of the investigation process. We can either try to ignite our own burning bush, or we can attempt to douse the flame of God’s. Neither approach is wise.

Some of us are guilty of an “aim and flame” kind of faith: “Lord, look at the bush I just lit. Now keep it burning, will You?” You might have some great ideas—I’m sure you do—but God’s will is better than your best idea, or mine.

For a long time I was the managing partner of a little firm called God and Me, LLP. I lit the bush and expected Him to keep it going. But the truth is, my plans are limited in both vision and “kindling,” so they tend to fizzle out. Many people grow cold toward God because He has not kept the bushes of their creation burning. But He is under no obligation to do so.

Remember, this thing called life is about God, not about us. Don’t believe that His job is just to bless our ideas. The bushes are His to light, not ours. My ministry was completely revolutionized when I realized that sermon preparation was not simply a process of paying my dues with study and then asking Him to bless the message I prepared. My prayers for blessing and power were too late. I had already created the whole thing, with the right heart but in the wrong order. I was trying hard, too hard.

The switch came when I became conscious that I had been asking Him to bless my ideas instead of asking Him for His idea. God’s power always accompanies God’s will. As the light went on, I began to ask, “Lord, what do You want me to talk about? Lord, what is Your idea?” I was now seeking His will from the beginning instead of asking Him to bless my idea at the end.