Finding God's Will in the Quiet

Have you ever wondered what God wanted you to do? It seems like you pray and pray and never seem to get an answer. You did everything that you could think of and still got no answer. Doesn't it seem like God just left you hanging? Well I promise you that God has never and will never "leave you hanging". The answer is simple. It is so simple that most people never even think to give it a passing thought.I have had this question before however so I am a little bit more prepared. One of my close friends once told me that he had no idea what God wanted him to do during the current stage of his life. He kept telling me that he prayed and prayed and never seemed to get an answer from God.I looked him in the eyes and said, "If you where going to throw a party for me what kind would it be?". He paused and thought for a moment and said, "Well, It would probably be a small party where you and a few of your friends got together and just hung out". I replied, "How did you know that? I never told you." He simply looked back and said, "Well I've known you for several years now."This is the same way with God. You get to know God better by having a healthy relationship with Him. By knowing God you will be able to tell what he wants and needs you to do. But this is only one step.The second step its to listen to the voice of God and obey it. You might stop and ask, "Well how do i listen for Him? I have been listening and He is simply not responding." This, however, is not true. God has been responding, you just can't hear Him.I Kings 19: 11-13 says "The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"What this means is that we fill our lives with so much noise that we never take the time and listen to the silence. We spend most of our time listening to the radio or watching T.V. but never take the time to have quiet time with God. Elijah waited on the mountain for God to appear to him. A great wind, earthquake, and fire passed in front of him but God was not in them. After it was all said and done the silence slowly crept in. Elijah still waited and in the silence heard the voice of God. We have to learn from what is said here. God does not put things in the Bible so that we do not learn from them. Everything has a purpose. Wait for God in the silence, get to know Him in a deep relationship, and be willing to follow Him when He calls you.

Who is God?

Sometimes you may come across the question, who is God. Someone may ask you and catch you unprepared. God is the almighty ruler of the universe but this doesn’t depict who God is or what He is like. When we say that we know someone we know their character traits. When we say that we are acquainted with someone we are saying that we only know them skin deep. We are saying that we have no idea what they are really like or who they really are. This goes the same with God. We say that we have a relationship with God but when it comes down to it we can only mention the basic characteristics of God. In Psalm 40: 1-5 it gives a variety of different aspects of God’s personality. If you look beyond what the verses say outright and read “between the lines”, you will be able to see who God really is.

Verse 1 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” This gives us several aspects of God. He is a God who listens, He is a God who works on His own time frame, He is a God who truly cares about His people and is actively involved in the world today.

Verse 2 says, “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon rock, and established my steps.” This tells us that He Is a saving God who is willing to
reach down and help us up out of our pain and trials. It tells us that He is a leading God who will be willing to lead us in His path, the path of righteousness.

Verse 3 says, “And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto out God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.” This says that He is a praiseworthy God and wants to be praised because He is the one who put the words in our mouth. It also tells us that God is one that is to be respected and revered.

Verse 4 says, “Blessed is the man that makes the Lord his trust, and respects not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” This states that God is a trustworthy God that is always there for us and will not turn away from us. If He is perfect and is able to be trusted He will never leave us.

Verse 5 says, “Many oh Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts which are toward us; they cannot be recounted in order unto you: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” This tells us that God is all powerful because our human minds cannot even begin to comprehend His whole essence. He is indescribable, thoughtful, caring, and loving.

We are to be living examples of who God is. He has always been this way, and will always be this way. He is constant, never changing. This is our challenge; take on the characteristics that God has given us to live by. Be willing to give everything up for God now that you know who He is. This is only the top of the iceberg of who God is. He is too much for us to comprehend. You have been charged. Go live the word. Show it to the world. Go.