Determining God's Will

 I would submit that there is nothing more important for any person than to know how to determine God's will. Yes, it starts with determining how to be saved and have our sins forgiven so we can have a relationship with God, but it extends to every decision we will make as a person. The sad thing is that most people don't even believe in God, and even some of those who do are not concerned with knowing how to determine God's will. People just want to decide what to do on their own. That causes all kinds of trouble and pain.

In the Old Covenant times God made it plain that He wanted the High Priest and the people to be aware of how to determine His will. They knew this was very important. They used a process of casting lots with the Urim and Thummim. I am not sure anyone today knows just how they did it, but they knew. (Exodus 28:30) Aaron carried the Urim and Thummim in his chest piece over his heart, so that he had it with him every time he went into the Lord's presence. That shows us just how important it was.

When the High Priest would cast the Urim and the Thummim, he did it with a heart to know God's will. He knew that  He needed God to show Him because he could not know it on his own. As he cast the lots, he did it in faith that God was going to direct the outcome in a way to show Him what to do. It was a faith process, not a random act like rolling dice. God saw his faith and showed him His will.

Today, we have a very different way of determining God's will, but it is still based on seeking God in faith. We have the Holy Spirit living in us, as believers, but we have to want to listen to Him to hear His direction for each decision. We have God's Word, the Bible, and we go to it with the help of the Spirit to understand it and live by it. We have direct access to God through prayer, and when we go in faith, He answers us. We also have mature Christians to give us wise counsel. The question is, "Will we make it a priority to determine God's will every day for all we do?" If we will, our lives will be much better than if we go by our own will.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 29-33.