Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. (Judges 6:36-40 ESV)
One of the ways that God showed His will to a human being in the Bible was to answer Gideon's request and make heavy dew only on a fleece of wool one night, and then keep it dry the next night while making dew on the rest of the ground. In another place God appeared and spoke directly to Moses from a bush that was on fire but not being consumed. In yet another place He sent an angel to Mary to announce to her that she would bear the Son of God so He could be born into our world. In a cave, God whispered to Elijah in a still, small voice.
How do we discern God's calling in our lives to accomplish His purposes? How can we understand His highest will for us in our vocation, in our location, in our relationships and in spending our lives for His glory? I believe just as buoys mark the deep places in a harbor for a ship God can line up the direction of our lives to reveal His will to us.
The first and most important buoy marking the way of God's will is His Word. His Word is a light to our path and a lamp for our feet. (Psalm 119:105) God may lead us in ways that are not specifically stated in Scripture, but He will never lead us into a place that contradicts His Word. If I am seeking to know His will about my vocation, I can be sure that God does not call people to the life of a professional hit man for Jesus. Scripture does not allow it.
Another buoy that marks the path of His will is the way He has uniquely designed each one of us. An honest appraisal of our talents and abilities can give a clue to how He is calling us to live our lives. We are fearfully and wonderfully made to fulfill God's purposes for our own lives. (Psalm 139:14) I do not have the grace of a gazelle. More like a walrus. God did not design me to be a professional ballet dancer. My physical abilities don't match the calling.
God also uses the advice of spiritually mature people to confirm the calling of His will in our lives. (Proverbs 15:22) When I am struggling to clearly hear God's voice or understand His will for an important decision, I find valuable counsel in processing the decision with my wife, Shirley, who has deep spiritual gifts and insights, and with a mentor of mine, David Schramm. If it has to do with the congregation I serve, processing it with the Leadership Team leads to sound decision-making.
Like He did with Gideon, God also uses signs in the open and closed doors of circumstances to confirm His will. When we moved from Indiana to North Carolina to be closer to our five grandchildren God opened the door within three weeks of our moving for me to become the pastor of a brand new, start-up congregation. I am confident I am spending my senior years doing exactly what God called me to do as I went through that open door.
The final buoy marking the safe harbor of God's will is the most subjective, and perhaps the acid test. It is the sense of peace we experience when we pray and we hear the voice of God in our hearts, confirming that we are His and we are in the center of His will. When we came to Concord we looked online at dozens of possible houses to buy. We visited four houses with our realtor on our "buying trip" in December of 2022. Each house had pluses and minuses. We came away from the first three saying, "No. Not this one." But when we walked into the door of that fourth house, Shirley began to tear up as the Holy Spirit witnessed, "This is the one." The inner witness of the Holy Spirit confirms His will for our lives.
I am convinced when these five buoys line up in agreement we can be confident that we have discerned God's will for us. When they are out of alignment, we keep praying, seeking God's best for our lives. We don't want to manipulate our own hearts into believing what we want is automatically God's will by laying out a fleece like Gideon that can be coincidentally convenient. Like, "God, if there is a parking place open in front of the bakery, I will believe you want me to have a donut this morning." God's will is more important than that. And His will can be discerned and confirmed by these ways.
In special circumstances God may send an angel and reveal His will to you or me like He did with Mary. But usually we find God's direction in more ordinary ways, including processing factors like I have described here.
When we seek God with our whole hearts, we find Him. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV) When we seek His will in Scripture, in the advice of mature friends, in honest assessment of the facts of the decision, in the doors He opens and closes and in the peace (or lack of it) in our hearts, God leads us to the center of His will - and that's the very best place anyone can be.
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