Steady Comes Before SUDDENLY

Have you ever had a sudden change of life plans? Have you ever thought that maybe those changes came out of nowhere when things seemed like they were just normal? Maybe it even seemed like God had forgotten that you were still there, serving and doing the normal, mundane things of life. I’m sure that on some level, you can relate to this situation in your life. I know I can. I was reading a book recently called Just Show Up by Drew Dyck that addressed this idea of finding God’s will, especially in the “SUDDENLY” moments of life, and I thought I would share some of my thoughts on this topic.

Finding God’s will is commonly accepted as a young person’s sport. It is the title of seminars and the topic of youth Bible studies or college campus outreaches.

As young people approach adulthood, they are faced with a multitude of life-altering decisions such as where to go to college, what career to choose, who to marry, and the list goes on. At times, it seems like their decisions are whipping past like the telephone or light poles along the interstate. Obviously, this is a time of necessary guidance in a major way. And we ought to share biblical truths with these young people about how to find God’s will for their lives during those times. But the reality is that necessary life guidance doesn’t cease when a young person finishes college or gets married or takes that first job. I am quite a few years removed from my undergraduate graduation ceremony, and yet I still find there are blank spots in my life where I am not sure what God is doing. I need that guidance every day. I am sure you feel the same way. Life changes in so many ways. Sometimes the changes are subtle as your kids grow up and don’t need you in the same way they did before. Or maybe your role at work or in your church changes, and you don’t exactly know where you fit. Maybe it’s more sudden in the loss of a spouse or a sudden move to a new location. Now you may be asking in these uncertainties, “What now, God?”

See, finding God’s will is not a one-time event that happens when you choose the direction of your life’s work. It is a daily seeking to know God through His Word. Every believer is called to do what we know is right according to God’s Word. Simply stated, God’s will for you and me today is to love God and love others (Luke 10:27). In a different study, you can search the phrase “the will of God” in the New Testament and see there are several verses that state what God’s will is for you and for me. If we spent more time seeking to do what God has already revealed to us in His Word, we would have less time to worry about what we don’t know about His will. See, the majority of what we are to do for Christ in this life is revealed in His Word. My dad says it this way, “95% of the will of God is already revealed to us in the Word of God. We worry about the 5% – where, when, with whom, and how – when we really need to just trust God to lead us.” We find God’s will, no matter our age, by being obedient to God’s Word and letting Him lead. Being obedient to His Word and drawing close to the Lord places each of us in the best possible place to make God-honoring decisions concerning the direction of our lives. A.W. Tozer said it this way – “The man or woman who is wholly or joyously surrendered to Christ can’t make a wrong choice.”

Let’s take a quick look at an example of this from the Bible. Have you ever thought about how drastically God’s will changed in Moses’ life, especially from the time of his youth to the time when God called him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt? It’s obvious from the biblical account that God was working in Moses’ life even in his infancy. He protected Moses from the slaughter of baby boys in Egypt and placed him in Pharaoh’s household. Acts 7:22 tells us that he was an educated man, thanks to the Egyptians. He was even good with his words, according to that verse. Then things changed for Moses when he slew an Egyptian, and God sent him to the backside of the desert to tend sheep for forty years. You think Moses ever wondered what God was doing in his life? You think maybe he wondered if God had forgotten about him and that he wasn’t useful anymore? Yet we know that in those years, he learned many lessons watching and tending the sheep. We know that God had not forgotten him, but that He was preparing Moses for a HUGE task. In my mind, Moses would have been more useful coming out of Pharaoh’s house with his education to negotiate the release of the Israelites. But by the time God appeared to Moses in a burning bush with a new task, he had seemingly regressed in his own ability. Exodus 4:10 details Moses’ excuse that he was not good with his speech. His training had faded from the time in the desert with the sheep. I guess sheep aren’t impressed with Egyptian academic training. But that desert place was right where God could use Moses the best. God’s sudden appearance in Moses’ life was preceded by forty years of faithfully tending the sheep and learning all along the way. Moses was faithful to work with the sheep for all those years. He may have even thought that was where he would be for the remainder of his life. But SUDDENLY life changed.

Those moments when things SUDDENLY change in our lives are much easier to handle when we have been steady and faithful doing the will of God, even when we are plagued by doubt and despair, yet without giving up. There is no riddle to finding God’s will, no matter your age! Steady comes before SUDDENLY! Just do what you know He calls you to do each day and trust Him to light the path for the SUDDENLY changes that will inevitably come.

What if the “mundane” season you’re in right now is actually God’s greatest preparation for the suddenly He’s about to unfold in your life?