A question was posed by Emad on In Touch in response to the Daily Devotion When things seem impossible (see post below) and I thought it was a good one to share. Emad asked: Cant we ask what do you lord want me to do as St. Paul asked The Lord? I know Ive asked this question myself before and when were trying to be faithful and obedient to the Lord, it seems like a logical question to ask, so I wanted to think through it and see just where the question led. My response is as follows: I think this is a great question, Emad! Please correct me if Im wrong, but I believe the verse you are referring to is Acts 9:6 in the King James Version where Jesus meets Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus and asks Saul why he is persecuting Him. The verse reads: And he (Saul) trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? As children of God with the power of the Holy Spirit within us, the same power as the Resurrected Jesus Christ, we certainly are not meant to be complacent and uninvolved, washing our hands of any personal responsibility when storms come as they inevitably will. I think what Dr. Stanleys message here is stating is that when we face tough times, we are to turn to God and rely on Him to see us through, not our own wisdom and strength as we are often so quick to do. In truth, the Bible already tells us a great deal about what we are to do when we struggles arise, and so to that extent, asking God what He would have us do isnt even necessary. In the Bible, the word faith in the original Hebrew was always used as a verb, never a noun as we use it today in English. The Bible tells us that when troubles arise, we are to have faith that God will guide us, provide for us and walk with us through whatever it is we are facing. Faith in God is an active process, not a passive one. Having faith means we live in confidence He will see us through. It means we live with eager expectation of the way He will see us through, knowing it will be for our good and His glory. It means we trust that however He chooses to see us through, He will equip us to do all He calls us to do and walk with us to the other side. And it means that we are willing and eager to obey Him and obey Him immediately should He ask us to step out and take action. I think what Dr. Stanley is saying here is that when we face difficult times, our response should be to turn to God, not ourselves to get us through. In fact, the rest of the verse above, Acts 9:6, reads: And the Lord said unto him, Arise , and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do . When Paul asked Jesus what he should do, Jesus response was, Go, and I will tell you what then you are to do. So yes, Paul did ask what he was to do, but the response of Jesus was that he was to trust and obey. We can always inquire of the Lord what He would have us do when tough times arise, but His response will be the same to us as it was to Paul - trust and obey. In any situation, good or bad, we should first seek the will of God and then be willing to follow wherever He may lead.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 14:03:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015