One plus one is two we know
What is God plus His will?
I’ve tried to plot His Word
With time over my condition
But the chart is inconsistent
Sometimes it is clear
Some others it is not
I want a standard that works for all
Someone give me a formula!
As an engineer, I love calculations because once you know the formula, you can operate the given to determine the unknown. It doesn’t matter who applies those formulas, where and when – there will be no surprises no matter what. Why? Because formulas are universal. It takes away the surprise factor despite margins of error. It leaves no room for negotiations and arguments: you either have the answer or you don’t: nothing ‘like’ the answer. We feel confident to apply those formulas and to switch variables despite the missing and the given, knowing the apple won’t fall far from the tree.
How many of us wish we could apply the same to life, especially in the area of determining God’s will? I once wished there was a standard mechanism which will eliminate the uncertainty and unpredictability associated with finding and living God’s will. Like the majority of us, I like working with formulas. In my early years as a believer, I tried tracking trends to determine a constant I can apply in my own walk with God until I learned that it doesn’t work that way with God.
God’s nature and Word are established and will never change: that is all the constant we need. Every other thing in life is bound to change and God works as He pleases to meet the challenges of changing times and seasons through our surrendered followership. That is why we need faith: the ability to trust God and to rely on His Word irrespective of what everyone else and our circumstances say. If there was a formula, we just plug in what we know and boom! We have the answers. Because there is no formula with God, we have to learn to walk with God by faith. Without faith, it is impossible to have a relationship least of all walk victoriously with God.
God’s ways are not our ways. God is unpredictable and His ways are higher than our limited human brain can manipulate. No matter how much we know of Him, we can’t put God in a box. No matter how close we draw to Him, God still reserves the right to lead as He pleases and to bring revelation to those who seek Him. There is no formula for finding and living God’s will, at least not like we have it in mathematics. It is not found in “spiritualizing” everything or sitting stuck at a place in the name of “Waiting on God.” There is no secret to it for anyone regardless of their position and age. It is part of the things we learn by daily choosing to live by faith as we trust and obey the God who never fails. It is in our communion, in our talk and walk with Him and others, on a moment by moment basis that we find His will without ‘exotic searches’ and live it without sometimes realizing.
(To be continued January 24, 2020)
Glory!