Let me say something that may surprise you: the will of God is not always easy to discern.
Most of my Christian life is one of faith, where I read Scripture and pray for wisdom. Then I make decisions and act on them, hoping that I am in His will.
I hope that is not a disappointment to you.
You may have thought that I get a message from God every day, just like on Mission: Impossible (cue theme song). “Good morning, Mr. Laurie. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves leading a person named Joe Smith to Christ. He will be pumping gas at the station across from the church at 1:35 P.M. today. This message will self-destruct in five seconds.”
In real life, the chances are that I will see my “idiot light” come on, and then pull over to get some gas. Old Joe will be standing there and say, “How ya doing?” And I will find myself smack dab in the middle of the will of God as I share Christ with him.
This is also true of the Christian life, in general. Emotions will come and go. Some days, you “feel” more spiritual than others. Some days you are very encouraged, and other days you are discouraged. The best thing to do is just hold your course.
It’s not unlike marriage. You cannot expect have a euphoric high every day, where your heart flutters whenever your mate walks into the room.
I have been married to my wife Cathe for 40 years now. If I still felt the way around her that I did when I was first getting to know her, it would be absurd. Imagine this: your spouse walks in the room and your heart flutters, your mouth goes dry, and your mind goes blank. My wife would think I was having a heart attack!
No, we have been married all these years and we have made a lifelong commitment to each other. The same is true of our commitment to God. Those emotions come and go, and come again. The Christian life is one of faith, not mere feeling. Scripture says “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
So hold your course today.
