An important concept of God’s will is that God can only guide a moving ship. He is the rudder, but if the ship isn’t under way, it can’t be directed. Willingness to obey His will gets the ship moving.
Sometimes God’s leading does not make sense. God starts us out on a life course to fulfill a certain purpose and then, only when we are ready, He gives us course corrections. Like a good river pilot, He steers us away from troubled waters, and like a good coach, He never puts us in the game until we are ready.
I believe in divine guidance as described in Isaiah 58:11. But the context reveals that there are prerequisites that have to be satisfied. We are sometimes like a person who seeks to be an athlete by simply suiting up for the race. That’s not how the skills are gained. It’s in the course of dedication, training, and the contest itself that one gains the skill of an athlete.
It’s in the doing of God’s work that His will becomes known.
~Neil Anderson, in "Daily In Christ"
