Because we are standing in the doorway of 2001, my recent studies and
reflections are centered around the new year.... How does it look from
where you are standing? What do you see as you look back on 2000? What
do you see as you look ahead? What don't you want to see?? I've got a
little poem about the New Year that I want to share with you today that
explains the train of thought I'm on...
I asked the New Year for some motto sweet,
Some rule of life with which to guide my feet;
I asked and paused~
He answered soft and low;
"God's will to know."
"Will knowledge then suffice, New Year?", I cried;
And, ere the question into silence died,
The answer came:
"Nay, but remember, too,
God's will to do."
Once more I asked, "Is there no more to tell?"
And once again the answer sweetly fell:
"Yes! this one thing, all other things above,
God's will to love."
God's will to know...God's will to do...God's will to love... What a great
goal for 2001! Which of these areas describes where you are in your walk
with the Lord? Have you found God's will for your life, dear lady? Has
there been a performance out of that finding? Has there been a love for
carrying out His will? These are certainly probing questions, but what
better time to ask them, amen? Our rule for everyday life this year is
perfectly stated in James 4:15:
"For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this,
or that."
Bible thinking sure makes things clearer for us, amen? Unfortunately,
we have to go and complicate things with our finite minds and make our
decisions difficult and troublesome! The more we consider the power of
God, the better off we are...
Psalm 143:5, "I will remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works;
I muse on the work of thy hands."
GOD'S WILL TO KNOW
Have you ever wondered what to do now with the year that has just flown
by? This verse tells us precisely what to do with last year! Meditate
on all THY works and muse on the works of THY hands. Meditate and muse....
Ladies, that means our thinking should be filled with the doings of our
great God! We shouldn't look back on our failures and mistakes and be
hindered and haunted by them this year. Instead, we should remember the
works of the Lord and go straight into 2001 placing courage and confidence
in Him! You see, God's track record is perfection and power, resulting
in peace that passes all understanding! We can stand in the doorway of
the new year with this realization and look ahead in faith at His will
for our lives. Praise God!
Verse 6 of this Psalm goes on to show us the fruit of such meditations
on the old year and the workings of the Lord...
"I will stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee,
as a thirsty land. Selah."
A proper perspective on the past will bring about a spiritual thirst for
the will of God in the new year. It brings about a complete trust in the
Lord as you look back and remember HIS doings instead of your failures!
It brings about a total dependency upon Him to work out His will in your
life. Hence, there will be no desire to give up or quit altogether....
How important and powerful right thinking is, amen? It can affect a whole
year! A whole lifetime!!
So dear lady, are you hindered by wrong reflections, wrong thoughts, fears,
worries, doubts? Have they kept you from knowing, doing and loving the
will of God? Do you really want to carry that "stinkin' thinkin' " into
your new year and pollute your faith in the God who loves you and has
nothing but your best interest at heart?! Let's not walk through the doorway
of 2001 with our heads filled with the garbage of last year, or even the
other years we may also be dragging along with that one! Drop the past
at the feet of Jesus and focus on His perfection. Move ahead with purity
of heart and mind!
Look next at verse 8 of Psalm 143 which says, "Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness
in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein
I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee."
Ladies, this is a beautiful picture of humble prayer! Prayer asking to
KNOW the will of God.... You and I can't possibly know or recognize the
will of God apart from prayer, amen? We need God's wisdom.... If we aren't
willing to at least take the time to ask God for help in discovering His
will for our lives, how important can it really be to us?! Think about
it.... How much time last year did you devote to asking the Lord to show
you the way wherein you should walk? Did you just decide for yourself
that way, and then afterwards ask Him to place His seal of approval on
it, hoping you were somewhat close? Wrong order!!
Oftentimes, we are also guilty of asking other people what the will of
God is for our lives and yet, that is absurd! How can anyone show you
but the Lord Himself who knows all? Certainly it's alright to get counsel
from a wise source, yet only in prayer - just you and your God, will you
achieve perfect peace in regard to the way wherein you should walk. Stay
close to the Lord in prayer this year and you will know the path that
you should be taking! It won't be a guessing game anymore....
Romans 8:27, "And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind
of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according
to the will of God."
GOD'S WILL TO DO
Verse 10 of Psalm 143 says, "Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my
God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness."
The land of uprightness... That certainly sounds like a good land to be
led into, doesn't it ladies? Who wouldn't want to settle there? Like the
psalmist in this verse, many of us ask the Lord to lead us to such a place.
However, when we pray this way, do we really mean it? Or are you afraid
for the Lord to lead you, afraid of where He might take you? If the Lord
is doing the leading in your life, I can guarantee you will end up in
the land of uprightness! How can we be afraid of something as secure and
sanctified as that? Can you in confidence say that you would end up in
the land of uprightness all by yourself, apart from the Lord's leading?
I don't think so! As long as we insist on maintaining control of our lives,
we have no such guarantee. Therefore, we must be teachable and leadable
to end up in such a land. You see ladies, only the Lord has the directions
to such a blessed place! Are you willing to follow those specific directions,
received through prayer and dependency upon God? When you find out what
the will of the Lord is, what do you typically DO? Do you resist His will
and reject His leading, or yield and follow Him? Will you carry a stubborn
heart into 2001? How many new years have you carried your stubborn attitude
into? 1997, 1998, 1999? More?
The psalmist said - "Teach me to DO thy will". This is the attitude you
and I need! There comes a time when we should desire to be more than just
a "knower" of God's will for our life, and add to it being a "doer". Jesus
invitation to us in John 14:31 is,
"But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father
gave me commandment, EVEN SO I DO. Arise, let us go hence."
No matter what year it is, Christ will continue to work on us and teach
us to do His will. Not only that, we also find that Christ will be with
us when we step out by obedience and follow the Father's will as He commands
us. We are guaranteed the Savior's companionship and all His presence
affords us! What a blessing, amen? Ladies, the best evidence of our love
to the Father is our DOING as He has commanded us. Can you really say,
"Even so I DO"?
GOD'S WILL TO LOVE
Lastly, let's look at God's will to love. This is the place where I am
in my relationship with the Lord. I have come to the place in my walk
with the Lord where I know how to discern God's will for my life, I am
carrying out His will for my life, but loving it?? That is the hard part!
I must confess, I do not always love what the Lord has for me to do. What
is my problem, what is the problem with any of us who do not love the
will of God? It is a matter of the heart....
Psalm 40:8 says, "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is
within my heart."
I want to love God's will, for then I will know that I am finally dead
to myself! "Self" hangs on for dear life, as the old expression goes.
And yet, scripturally speaking, the "dear life" is actually to be in the
center of the will of God, not in the center of MY will! The more pure
and holy the heart is, it will have more of an awareness as to the sin
that remains within it, amen? True peace and joy comes when we know the
will of God, do the will of God, and then love the will of God with all
our hearts. Our heads and hands are typically involved in service to the
Lord, but consider your heart today.... We KNOW what is right, we DO what
is right, but the heart is the throne of our own will and our want to
and where our LOVE for God's will is born... How many years have you and
I been serving the Lord without our hearts? God knows.... Let's make 2001
different, let's include our hearts in our service!
Ephesians 6:6 says, "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants
of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart."
Menpleasers serve only when their master's eye is upon them, but servants
of Christ serve fully aware that the Father's eye is upon them at all
times... Steady regard to the Lord Jesus Christ will make us faithful
and sincere in every setting. What are your plans for God's will this
year? It is my prayer that we will all seek it, do it AND love it.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 1999 Pamela A. Iannello
