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This is especially puzzling because
he wants us to know his will even more than we want to know it. He gains no advantage by
withholding his will from us. Surely, the problem lies within us. He could give us all
unmistakable dreams, visions. But most Christians will never have that kind of experience
and we should all be cautiously skeptical about such claims.
Even the Apostle Paul had to act on what he understood of
God's will, and then adjust his plans according to God's further guidance along the way.
Acts 16 shows him returning to visit the Galatian churches on his second journey. That
much was plain. The he tried to take the highway directly into Asia--certainly, to
Ephesus. The door was closed. Roman military contingents were stationed at intervals all
along the Roman highways. Maybe they forbade entry. Or weather conditions, or an epidemic,
etc. Paul proceeds to Misia and again, is stopped. The only direction left was Troas,
which almost certainly was not on Paul's itinerary. But God needed to get him there in
order to lead him from Asia into Europe, to Philippi!
In much the same way, Abraham, that great man of faith,
followed what was plain in God's will. He went to the land of Canaan. But there he
wandered all around for some years seeking guidance as to where to settle--all the while,
being tested in three areas: Could God protect in such a dangerous region? Could God
provide for Abraham's large company? Could God keep his promises to bless all nations
through him? It was all these dealings with God that ultimately made Abraham a man of
faith.
But most Christians today have little idea how to seek and
understand God's guidance.
If this is of interest for you,
read the GO Paper,
How to Understand God's Guidance |