Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Nothing Better
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colossians 3:15 NLT)
In the Old Testament we find the story of Gideon, a man whom God chose to lead the Israelites into battle. But Gideon was hardly a trained warrior. In fact, he was overwhelmed by the task and asked God to confirm His word.
In effect, Gideon said, “Lord, I will make You a deal. Tomorrow morning, I’ll lay a fleece on the ground. And in the morning, if this really is Your plan, there will be dew on the fleece but not on the ground. Then I will know that it’s Your will.”
The next morning, there was dew on the fleece and not on the ground, just as Gideon had asked. But he thought that it might have been a coincidence. So, he went back to God and basically said, “Tomorrow morning, I’m asking that it will be the other way around. Then I will know that it’s Your plan.” So, the next day, there was dew on the ground but not on the fleece.
God had confirmed His will to Gideon.
In the same way, you might say, “Lord, this seems to be Your will, so I’m asking You to please open the door circumstantially.” However, don’t base your entire situation on circumstances, because circumstances can sometimes lead us in the wrong direction.
Colossians 3:15 tells us, “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful” (NLT).
The Amplified Bible puts the same verse this way: “Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise].”
I have learned to listen to the peace of God. I’ve been in dangerous situations and have felt God’s peace. Then there have been other times when I didn’t have God’s peace in a situation. Instead, I had turmoil in my heart. I’ve learned to listen to that, because I’ve made some mistakes by not listening to it.
If we want to know the will of God, then not only do we need to ask God to give us His peace, but we also need to ask Him to open doors through circumstances, confirming His Word. We also must remember that God will not lead us into something that is contrary to what Scripture says.
And just as important as the will of God is the timing of God. Sometimes He doesn’t do things as quickly as we want Him to. At other times He does things so quickly that we have a hard time keeping up.
But God is not a distant force with no plan or purpose for you. You are uniquely created in the image of God, and He has a custom-designed plan just for you. He wants to reveal Himself to you. And He wants you to enter into a friendship with Him. Can you imagine anything better than that?
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