Discerning God’s Will
Posted by Lynnae on February 17, 2008
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Sometimes it’s hard to discern God’s will.
Every Sunday I post something from my perspective as a Christian, because in my life, my faith is very closely related to my frugality. If you’re not a Christian, you are always welcome to read, of course. But if you’d rather skip my Sunday posts, know that I will be back to my normal posts on frugality and personal finance every Monday.
I think I’ve been watching too much TV lately. Last week an episode of Oprah caught my eye, and Friday I just knew I had to blog about an episode of Dr. Phil. The guests on Friday’s episode were parents of 7 children. They called themselves strong Christians, they homeschool, and they say they rely on the Lord. So far I’m with them. Though I don’t homeschool myself, I have many friends who do, and I respect that choice.
However, the husband didn’t have a job. Their electricity had been turned off. Their water had been shut off. They had no money. Their home was in foreclosure. But instead of looking for a job, the husband was insistent that the Lord was leading him to be an entrepreneur. He said that getting a job was the easy way out, because you get paid whether you work hard or pick your nose. He insisted that being an entrepreneur was the way to go.
The problem is that every business he had tried to start had failed. Another problem is that one of the products he was trying to sell came very close to breaking the law (it was a spray to put on your license plate, so the numbers wouldn’t show up if you got caught running a red light by an intersection camera).
The husband kept falling back on Psalm 37:4:
Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
My opinion is that he took that verse way out of context. The husband’s view was that he was trying to follow the Lord’s will, and therefore he was certain that God would give him what he wanted….self-employment, provision to keep their house…you get the picture.
I think he’s wrong. I think when you delight yourself in the Lord, your desires are transformed into His desires. Instead of continuing to insist on your own way, the nearer you draw to God, the more you don’t care about your own desires anymore. You want God to use you in whatever way He pleases.
My other problem is that the husband thought selling red light photo paint was God’s will. Yet, how could it be God’s will when it’s a product that assists people in getting away with breaking the law? In 1 Peter 2:13-17 we read:
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
The red light photo paint is in direct conflict to submitting yourself to authority. And since God cannot contradict himself, selling the paint couldn’t have been God’s will.
So how do you know what God’s will is? I can’t answer that for every person, but I do know this. If what you’re thinking about doing is in contradiction to what God says in the Bible, it’s not God’s will.
I also know that you have to take the opportunities that are brought your way. I said after I cut up my credit cards that I wanted to wait on God to provide for an emergency, rather than rely on credit cards. I stand by that statement.
However, I do believe that doesn’t mean waiting around for God to write a check. I believe God provides us with opportunities, and our job is to work hard at those opportunities.
Last week I told you about our unexpected tax bill. I still don’t know exactly how we’ll pay that bill. What I do know is that a friend of ours called this week and asked if I’d be willing to pet sit for them while they’re out of the country. Pet sitting is a pain, but it’s money that I can use toward the tax bill. And I thank God for the opportunity to make a little extra cash.
One final thought. God is very good at closing doors when you try to take the wrong path. I look back at my husband’s attempts to find a decent job when he was unemployed. He kept applying for jobs that he was well qualified for, and he kept getting turned down. We couldn’t figure out why, and in the end, we just came to the conclusion that God was trying to move Jim out of sales.
I think when you’re trying to discern God’s will, you need to pray, search the scriptures, and then take available opportunities. Ask God to shut down the opportunities that aren’t right and throw the doors wide open for the things he wants you to do. In my experience, that’s a prayer He answers.
Photo by .Milan.
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I am not a financial expert. I'm just a wife and mom doing the best I can to live a frugal life and get out of debt. Like any human, I make mistakes. I write this blog out of my own experiences, and nothing I write should be taken as expert advice. If you need financial advice, please consult a professional.
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Excellent post. There are so many out there, including pastors and teachers, who take scripture out of context. As you stated, and as I believe, prayer is the key. It also helps to read the area surrounding the scripture; what sounds one way alone will sound totally different in light of its surroundings. Have a great day!
I totally agree with your take on the issue. However, I suspect that they choose this type of person to highlight in order to make all homeschoolers (and Christians) look foolish and hypocritical. As a Christian, and a homeschooler, this is frustrating. :/
“The red light photo paint is in direct conflict to submitting yourself to authority. And since God cannot contradict himself, selling the paint couldn’t have been God’s will.”
I believe there are times when civil authority is corrupted and we must voice objection to it in order to remain faithful to God. Subverting traffic safety laws, however, doesn’t seem to be an example of this.
I believe the “prosperity gospel” folks have done a lot of damage, convincing people that if they believe strongly enough God will give them what they want. I agree with you that “when you delight yourself in the Lord, your desires are transformed into His desires.”
@ Divers and Sundry - I also agree that if civil authority and God’s word are in conflict, we need to obey God above the law, but this wasn’t the case.
And don’t get me started on the prosperity gospel. It’s one of my pet peeves.
I could’nt agree more. I prayed so hard when I was looking for a job, should I stay at home longer, or did HE want me to go to work full time to help support my family? Since I didn’t get any jobs or calls, espcially since I did’nt get the “dream job” that would have covered everything we are looking for, I took that as a hint I was supposed to stay home a little longer. He has still provided for us in amazing ways. When it is right, he shows us, when it is not, you should take the hint and apparently for this guy…. get a job! Provide for your family, that is not Gods job! He provides us the opportunities!
I decided that I couldn’t even handle watching that episode. The husband wouldn’t get paid just to pick his nose at any job I’ve ever worked at….it’s just sad. I hope the kids do ok.
I agree with you that it is really difficult to discern God’s will, for yourself and for others. I know that a ton of people believe that whatever opportunity comes their way (or whatever good or bad circumstance occurs) it must be God’s will, and that just doesn’t jive for me. It is always an interesting and difficult thought process.
This reminds me of a story, that while some of you may have heard bears repeating:
There was a violent rainstorm and the town began to flood. A policeman knocked on a religous man’s door and told him he needed to evacuate, a flood was coming…”Not me, said the man, The Lord will Provide!”
Now the water had flooded the first floor of his house, someone came by in a boat…”You have to Evacuate, the water is rising”……”Not me, said the man, The Lord will Provide!”
Now the water completely engulfed the house and he is standing on the roof. A helicopter drops a rope to him and over the loudspeaker says, “You have to get out now, the water is rising!”…”Not me, said the man, The Lord will Provide!”
The man drowned
At the gates of Heaven he asks St Peter, “Why did the Lord let me Drown? I am a Pius man, I kept God first, why?” St Peter said, “What do you mean? We sent a policeman a boat, and a helicopter for you!”
Point is, sometimes we close off what we are being told…like this man!
The shallowness of some people’s doctrine is amazing. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
God’s always expects us to work as hard as we can at everything we to. In doing so, we glorify God. When DH & I opened our business, we both worked full-time and then as the business prospered we were able to leave our full-time jobs. Even when rebuilding Jerusalem, God expected everyone to work. Could he have rebuilt himself in a heartbeat? “YES!” but he wants to involved in it too. Historically, if man is given something, he very seldom appreciates it. But, when he works for it, he is thankful for everything…
You are so right! I often hear my husband say the same thing about the “Delight” verse. And it’s so hard to see that about the family on Dr. Phil. When we have low income from the church, my husband will take opportunities that come along to do extra jobs, (construction or whatever)as long as the Lord doesn’t tell him definitely “Do not take this job.” I’m really blessed with a husband who will work to take care of our family, even if it’s in addition to the ministry.
Great writing, Lynnae.
I agree with Montgomery, tv shows seem to find the nuttiest “Christians” to put on their programs. It gets really frustrating. I’m really glad that Dr. Phil had a pastor on the program whose theology was sound.
Grrr!
I’m not a homeschooler and I’m not very religious, but I have to agree with those here who say that some shows seem to feature the worst examples of Christians. I know homeschooling families who have fun, aren’t self-righteous, don’t judge and, above all–work hard for a decent life. In other words, they are ‘regular’ people. There is a certain percentage of ‘flakes’ in all walks of life. I guess because they are different, they are more entertaining.
Honestly, IMUO (that U for unhumble), I’m surprised Child Protective Services hasn’t been all over that house.
Sounds like this guy should have been on Springer…
So what happened with the show? Did the audience boo him? Did he come around at the end?
Mike
He’s obviously never read 1 Timothy 5:8 which says that a man who does not provide for his household has denied his faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
@Four Pillars - Yes, the audience booed him, and he never completely came around. He reluctantly said he was looking for a job, but that’s as far as it got.
Great post Lynnae
I call my mom every Sunday and just today she was asking me if I saw this episode of Dr. Phil, so it was funny that you posted about it.
What a great post!
I was going to post the story mentioned by RacerX, but got beat to the punch.
I hope that God will speak to that man in a way that he will hear and listen.
Great post. It sounds like this guy isn’t really listening to God. I hate when people take little bits of the Bible out of context and use it to justify their behavior. I feel really bad for this guy’s family.
Preach it sister!
GAH! This poor family…it’s stuff like this that drives me nuts…ranks right up there with the guy who’s wife ended up killing her kids because she went completely off the deep end after he told her it was God’s will for them to have a bunch of kids after she had horrible PPD with the first two. THEN he made her live in a BUS and homeschool their kids in that…GRRRRRR *steps away from soapbox*
It is interesting how they always choose to feature the foolish examples like this one. As someone who homeschooled for several years under my parents it is amazing how much more I learned through that schooling, than when I was going to the public schools. Night and day. (of course both my parents were teachers at one time or another).
It is also interesting how people will often take scriptures completely out of context, and allow it to mean whatever they want it to. For example Psalm 37:4 - people will often take that verse to mean that God will give them whatever they want - but what they forget is that God won’t give them something that isn’t within his will. The father was acting foolishly, and ought to be ashamed of himself.
Hi Lynnae,
I’m late with my comments as usual but I saw that show too and was glad you commented on it. I totally agree with you - that guy was no where close to being able to discern God’s will for him because he wasn’t even willing to obey God’s written Word. I was glad for the pastor who did share scripture with him - wish he could have spoken longer. I sure felt sorry for their children…
“I think when you delight yourself in the Lord, your desires are transformed into His desires.”
That is exactly the way I look at that verse also… we have to keep on keeing on and yet while we walk this road of life, we want to keep one eye on the road ahead and one eye on God to make sure we are going the right direction.
Great post!!