We all have GPS apps on our smart devices these days. Our phones, watches, tablets, and cars all tell us exactly how to get from one place to another. Modern GPS not only guides you from point A to point B, but also helps you avoid delays, hazards, tolls, and even warns of speed traps. Without a GPS, many of us would be left wandering around aimlessly in unfamiliar territory.
GPS today is similar to the ancient idea of a shepherd, guiding their flock to a particular destination and guarding them from traps and harm. But what happens if you don’t hear or understand the directions?
A lot of people find God’s leading confusing or indecipherable… and that can be extraordinarily frustrating. However the scriptures and Jesus Himself give straightforward instructions for clearly identifying the directions of our divine shepherd. The trouble is that typical religious thinking and indoctrination has clouded the issue and muddied the spiritual waters, making things more complicated and mysterious than they truly are. So today we’ll be cutting through all of that to see the where God is directing, without religion getting in the way.
One of the things which I repeatedly hear people express is that they do not know the will of God. They don’t know what He actually wants to do in their current situation, or sometimes even on a day-to-day basis. And when we are unsure of the will of God, it often leads us down a spiral of confusion that can sometimes be very deep, and very discouraging and fear-inducing. After-all, how can we be sure of anything, if we are supposed to follow the will of God while simultaneously not knowing what His will is? This very question in-fact has led many to abandon God altogether.
Well, as you may have already deduced from the title of today’s study, things aren’t as mysterious or complicated as they may seem. And the truth is that God has actually revealed His will.
Today we do not need to guess at His will… nor do we need to pray in uncertainty and desperation, hoping to hear Him speak – because He has already spoken to us, and His will can be clearly known to us.