"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" - Prov 3:5-6 (NIV).
How does one know the will of God? Through the scriptures we find certain clues. One of these happens to be signs, which confirm to us, wether we are on the right course.
A good case in point is when an ageing Abraham sent out his servant on a critical mission, to find a wife for his son Isaac, among his people. The servant dutifully set out; but just before he left, he did the most important thing in knowing God's will. He prayed first. "Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham" (Genesis 24:12).
This faithful servant then proceeded to ask God for a sign. "See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master" (vv 14).
And as it were God heard this servants prayers. For, "Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder...The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar" (vv 17 ).
Rebekah eagerly complied and went further to welcome the servant for a night's stay. “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.” Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives" (vv 25-27).
Of course the above is not to suggest that things will be as obvious to any suitor out there. Neither does it mean any of us must wait for God to make it so clear with such amazing signs before we proceed on an important mission. What we see though here is that through prayer God provided a sign that confirmed to the servant that he was on the right path.
Indeed this could apply equally to any life of a believer eager to know if he is on the right course. There are signs that the Almighty can give to lead one on to the right destiny. And some time there are signs forbidding you to proceed. Look out, and do not ignore such.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray that as I seek your will, you confirm my paths with signs, leading me to the right destiny, this I pray in Jesus's name.
Related upcoming events
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19/04/2024 - 20/04/2024 All day“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” ( Isaiah 43:19).
Just before fire was unleashed down on Sodom and Gommorah, Lot was told to pack up with his wife and two daughters and leave their homestead. Now, once out of danger, “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” ( Gen 19:26). Perhaps here we might pause and ask why she was bothered to look back.
Of course it could have been that old “curiosity killed a cat” mistake! Yet, it could also have been Lot’s wife was not sure where she was going and longed for her old life back. This is a common error. There was nothing stirring to look back. Just before Lot’s neighbors had attacked his house eager to rape his visitors. “They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them” ( vv 5). Was there anything worth looking back to!
The case of Lot’s wife could be anyone else’s experience. The Lord has plucked you out of some mess. You have been delivered to a new life. Yet, somehow you decide to look back, as though there was anything good and worth longing for. Sometimes it is a bitter past you have been delivered from. Other than rejoice in your new blessings you keep being drawn back!
A wise caution goes, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly” ( Proverbs 26:11). If the Lord has just led you out of a certain mess why look back like it was much better! Instead look ahead, for “he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” ( vv 17- 18).
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, I thank you for delivering me from the darkness of the past and I look forward to a bright new future in you, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
