Return to the Scriptures
If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery. (Psalm 119:92)
Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery. (Psalm 119:92)
“Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9)
Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. (1 Corinthians 8:2)
Here are three principles to help us stay balanced and be wise in our pursuit of knowledge.
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. (Psalm 1:1–3)
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. (Philippians 1:9–10)
As a pastor, I often get asked questions regarding God’s will. Let’s consider four of the more common ones.
Want to know God’s will for your life? Let me ask you to stop, look, and listen. God makes His desires known to those who stop at His Word, look in with a sensitive spirit, and listen to others. When we go to His Word, we stop long enough to hear from above.
In those seasons when it’s difficult to see God’s purpose and promise, remember where your hope and encouragement are found—in the person and purposes of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you’re in that painful space right now, my word for you is: persevere! Hope in God—this is not the end.
When you find yourself dealing with doubt, let me give you three things to remember. First, God cannot lie. He can test, and He will. He can say no, and He sometimes will; He can say yes, and He will; He can say wait, and occasionally He will—but God cannot lie.