Down-right Discernment

Don't you love a perfect rainbow on a rainy day? Today, this rainbow was a wonderful surprise after the yucky weather, but what I love even more is what the rainbow represents: a clear promise, a reminder, a sign if you will, that God will do as He says - providing shelter from the storm and protection from the flood. I often think that life would be easier if every decision we encountered came with a rainbow: if whenever you are in need of discerning the Lord's plan and purpose, He just wrote it out in the sky. And something tells me, I'm not the only person that feels this way.

Discerning the Lord's will for our lives often feels like some mysterious thing, that is far too grand and insurmountable for us to wrap our heads around, but what if I told you that it doesn't always have to be this way?

I think that the Lord speaks to us in a number of deeply personal and individual ways, because He is a deeply personal God. He knows the in's and out's of us, formed us in our mother's womb, and can provide us with our own "rainbows" in His perfect timing.

The reality of this though, is that rainbows aren't always naturally occurring. You can create a rainbow on your own, using your own light source; man kind has even found a way to separate all those beautiful colours and works of art, and make it their own thing, hijacking the original message. And when we aren't seeking the Lord, we can do the same thing with His voice. We hijack it, ignore it, create our own message, look in all the wrong places, misinterpret, and listen to every voice that isn't the Lord's. When we get tired of waiting for the Lord to deliver us from the flood, we try to build a raft and jump out to sea. Often, in waiting for the Lord to make a choice clear, we are told to worship in the hallway, to wait for a door to open, to walk through a door till it closes, but what about those of us that choose to for-go the door entirely? How about those times you feel like crawling out the window?

Before you do that though, let me point something out to you: unless you know how to properly build a raft, then you're going to sink. If you're climbing out the window, then you're going to get locked out. And once we are lost in the sea of our own desires, and trapped outside of the will of God, things don't get easier because a decision has been made, they get lonelier because they were made without the Lord.

So, how do you avoid that entirely? You seek the Lord's will and discernment. What does that look like? Well, the Bible actually tells us:

1) Our God is not a god of confusion - Numbers 23:19 "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"

If you are feeling confused about a decision, or if the voices inside of you begin to contradict one another, then chances are, you're not hearing the voice of God. When God gives you a message, and lays a clear purpose on your heart, it is going to be exactly that: clear. God doesn't want to confuse you or mislead you so that you stumble, and discernment from Him will prove this.

2) The will of God brings peace - Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

When trying to discern if something is the Lord's will for you, ask yourself, does this bring you peace? Jesus Christ is peace itself, our strength and safety is found in him, and when we are walking in his path, we are going to have peace; not the allusion that life will always be perfect, but the truth and strength that no matter the situation, if we have the Lord, we are safe.

3) Get in the Word - Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path."

The Bible is God's words for us, it is living and breathing, applicable to all areas of life, the absolute truth, a love letter of epic proportions, and is meant to guide us through life. When faced with trying to make a decision, look into God's word and see what it says, because in it lies the truth.

4) Seek wise council - Proverbs 15:22 "Plans go wrong for a lack of advice; many advisors bring success."

Sometimes, we can be too close to issues to see things clearly. That is why it is important to have mature and wise Christians on our side that can offer us godly advice, from an impartial place. Ask your trusted circle to be praying for you, and when they offer you advice, deeply take it into consideration. Even if the advice itself may vary, they can offer you another perspective from different experiences, outside of your own.

Ultimately, the Lord wants you to know His will for your life, and has given us many ways to seek it and discern it, despite the world trying to feed us the lies that God is some impossibly large, unreachable being in the sky. Over and over again the Bible reminds us that the Lord has a wonderful plan and purpose for our lives:

Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you."

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Life is full of rainbows, and I believe that we serve a very alive and present God that shows up for us every day in a million little ways if only we are willing to look. So, don't be afraid to seek the Lord's purpose for you life, because He has equipped us with so many tools to seek exactly that! Through His Word, His Peace, His Voice, and the people He puts in our lives, we can discern the Lord's will for our lives, which equips us to seek out of our purpose!

So do it, walk through the rain and enjoy the colours on the other side!

-Emma

"Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire."