When it comes to understanding the will of God, whether that be in relation to something you read in the Bible, or as you seek his direction for your life, let me make a very simple but important suggestion.
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.
Before his crucifixion, Jesus said this to his disciples: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…” (John 16:13) Elsewhere, the Holy Spirit is called our Counsellor, Advocate, or Helper.
When was the last time you asked the Holy Spirit—who, by the way, indwells you as a follower of Christ—to guide you?
I recently spent a lot of time studying the book of Daniel. In my research, one of the resources I sometimes consulted were the lectures of Reformer John Calvin. Before he began, he would pray to God. Before one his classes he prayed these words: “Instruct us by the unconquered fortitude of thy Spirit.”*
How glorious!
As we seek to understand God’s teachings, may he instruct us by the unconquered fortitude of his Spirit.
As we seek God’s will for our lives, may he instruct us by the unconquered fortitude of his Spirit.
As we seek to navigate relationships and bless others, may he instruct us by the unconquered fortitude of his Spirit.
What if your next best step was simply asking the Spirit directly for his help?
Notes:
-*John Calvin, trans. Thomas Myers, Commentaries on the Book of the Prophet Daniel, Volume First (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 213.
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.
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