God’s will

I remember hearing a message on God’s will once.

The speaker talked about how some people see God’s will as the bullseye on a target.  They think you have to hit the exact center or you’ve missed God’s will.

But the speaker talked about how God’s will is more like a fence.

There’s a lot of freedom for us within that fence in which we may make choices.

Go outside of the fence, and you’re out of God’s will.

Stay within it, and we find we can make many choices that are within the will of God.

Marriage is one of these areas.  He said there probably isn’t just one person just for you.  There are many possible people that you could choose that would be within the will of God.

The thing is, though, you need to stay within the fence.

That’s what God was telling the daughter’s of Zelophehad in chapter 36.

There was concern in the tribe of Manasseh that they would lose some of the land the Lord had given them if Zelophehad’s daughters got married with people of another tribe.  (They had inherited land, because their father had died, and did not have any sons).

And so God said,

They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within their father’s tribal clan. (Numbers 36:6)

The reason for this, of course, was that the tribe of Manasseh would not lose any of its inheritance to another tribe.

But here we see the will of God.

There was a fence.  (“Marry someone within their tribe”).

But within that fence, there was freedom.  (“They can marry anyone they please.”)

The same is true with Christians today, in marriage of course, but also in every aspect of life.

There are fences we shouldn’t cross.

In marriage, God says we are to only marry Christians.

But within that fence, we can choose anyone we like.  There is not that “one” that we are required to marry to be in God’s will.

The thing we shouldn’t do is freeze in our decisions wondering if we’re hitting the bull’s eye.

Remember that within God’s will, there’s a lot of freedom for us to move.  In marriage, in our jobs, in every choice that we make.

Know where the fences are.  Stay within them.

But as long as you do, don’t fret too much about whether you’re within God’s will.  You probably are.

And if you aren’t, if God has a more specific target for you, he’ll let you know.

But don’t let fear of not hitting the bullseye freeze you in your decision making.