We study God’s word and seek to know His will.  We pray and ask Him to tell us what He desires.

Some decisions are easy.  The word of God says (you fill in the blank)  and we know what is required of us.  What is required is obedience to those words?  For instance, we know Christ called us to show mercy, to love one another as He loved us, to forgive if we wish to be forgiven and to love nothing more than we love God.  We don’t have to ask for specific guidance regarding these.

But sometimes we need the Lord to tell us specific things.    We face a decision in our life and desire to do God’s will, but how do we know His will?  How do we know which church to attend?  How do we know how He wants us to use our talents or gifts?  How do we know the specifics in our lives?  How do we know which way to go; which path to take?

We pray.  We ask.  But how do we silence our will so we can hear HIs will.

One method I think, my life experience is all I have to go on here, is to ask God to open doors and shut doors.

A few years back, we moved into a new neighborhood.  Moves require finding a new church.  We visited all the churches in the area and narrowed down to two.  Now I hate the whole going forward in churches.  I have spoke in front of huge crowds, but the long walk to the front to stand silent in front of a bunch of people is low on my list of things I like to do.    So I prayed to God, if this is the church You want me to join then make it easy for me.  I listened to the sermon and then the time of invitation came.  The pastor started with a call for every person in the church to come forward and sign up for a bible study they were starting.  Hundreds of people started moving forward.  The pastor then said, “If you want to join the church just head down the middle aisle.”  And in the mist of a crowd I made my way forward sure God wanted me there.  I belonged to that church for a few years and I can honestly say it is the perfect example of what a church should be.

A few years later, God called me out of that church.  My daughter felt out of place because no one from her school attended that church.  She wanted to attend a small church close to our home.  I did not want to leave.  So I prayed to God asking him to give me guidance and then I set it up so the answer I would get would be stay.  I told God I would ask two people what I should do.  I would ask the pastor’s wife and my father.  My dad said go.  Well, that was always the iffy one of the two.  But everyone knows a pastor’s wife would tell you to stay.  But she said go where my daughter would be happy.  So I went.

My daughter was baptized in that small church that she wanted to join.

During our years in this small church, the Lord laid on my heart that in parts of Europe, you know the once Christian land, most children could not answer a survey question regarding why Easter was celebrated.  This broke my heart.  I realized America was only a generation away from a similar fate.  A woman who attended the church was like a pied piper.  She loved the kids in her neighborhood and brought them with her to church.  I gradually became the children’s director of this little flock of wonderful kids.  We had so much fun.

God laid it on my heart to teach the kids of our neighborhood that Easter was about the Lord.  I discovered Resurrection Eggs and decided we should have a big event to draw the kids to our church.  People kept asking me how many eggs, and how many hot dogs.  I had no idea.  The answer I gave them was plan for 150 people.  It was an enormous number for this little church and I have no idea why I said it.  But I planned.  I asked the best teacher I knew to do the eggs.  I arranged for petting zoos and camel rides and every other attraction I could think of to draw the kids into the church.

The day came and with it freezing rain and ice.  Every easter egg event in town was canceling.  The zoo and camel canceled.  We had to make a decision.  My heart was broken.  I so wanted the kids to hear the story of Jesus.  We decided to go for it anyway.  We would hunt in the church and tell the story even if it was just for our kids.  As the time approached, crowds arrived.  We hid the eggs under the chairs and on the chairs. It was sort of pitiful really, but the kids loved it.

Then the teacher sat and told the story using the eggs to ask the questions.  One boy said.  “I can’t believe I am having fun in church.”  We had 150 people at our event that day.

The next year we repeated the Easter event and it became our big event for the children in the church.  Before the Easter event, I had the distinct sense God wanted me to leave.  I hated the idea.  I asked God.  I asked Him to tell me yes or no.  I asked Him if I flipped a coin and it was heads it meant he wanted me to stay and tails then go.  I got go as an answer, but I wasn’t convinced.  I didn’t want to go.  I loved working with those kids.  In the next week, a series of people came asking to take over tasks I had been doing with the kids.  God had told me to go and went I hesitated He took it away and gave it to others.  It was always His work not mine.

Another way God has told me His will was also around leaving a work He had given me.  I was a sunday school teacher in a church that was slowly breaking apart.  The pastor left, the youth leader left, the music leader was gone and the children’s leader left.  We were going to be moving in a few months and I figured it would be okay to leave.  I asked God to give me a verse as to what I should do.  Every time I asked, I would open my bible and it would open to the same verse. (the only time my bible opened to this verse was when I asked God this question).    Each time I asked, God gave me Nehemiah to read.  I interpreted this to mean I had to hold my place in the church.  We did move a few months later, but I learned that this church rebuilt to become one of the largest churches in the area.

I have used a multiple of methods to know God’s will.  I have asked for  Him to open doors and shut doors.  I have asked for signs; I have flipped coins asking for a yes or no.  I have opened the bible to look for a verse.  The one thing I know is when I honestly seek to know the will of God He has never failed to direct me.  It is more about my heart.  Am I willing to follow even if I don’t like the answer.  Am I open to the answer no matter what.

God is good.  I love the fact he walks with me and guides me as long as I am willing to follow.