Living in God’s Will: The Choice To Walk in Peace, with Hope, and Blessing

Dear friends,

It has been nearly two years since I have put pen to paper in this way, but lately I have felt the desire to dig into what I have been learning. If you are here reading this, maybe you are curious about where I've been, or maybe you just stumbled across this page and thought you would check it out. Whoever you are, and whatever your reasons, thank you for your patience in my absence, and for indulging me a little.

I am notorious for becoming easily bored, quickly distractible, and searching for the next best thing to hold my attention. It's actually quite remarkable that I remained in my first career for 20 years, and would have stayed a lot longer if not for my work place injury. It is safe to say, when I reflect, that "police officer" was my identity, and apart from it felt insignificant. This very insecure girl could hide behind and revel in the status and reverence of the "job." For many years, even after retirement I would catch myself wanting to preface questions of "what do you do" with, "well I was a police officer for 20 years," followed by, "now I work as an EA with high school students." When I write that, I immediately feel embarrassed, but it is the truth.

When I was forced to leave policing, I was temporarily relieved, yet scared and lost at the same time. I spent months thinking, now what? Who am I? What's next for me? I knew doing nothing wasn't an option, or I might go nuts, so I spent 18 months studying. This was an amazing experience for me, and I started to listen to the small voice in my head, become more intentional about my faith, and had a desire to pursue what God wanted for me. I had to rewire my default settings of control and obsession, be patient in the waiting, and discern God's will, not my own. It meant allowing Him to rewrite my story, without grabbing the pen from His hand.

What does it mean to live in God's will?  

Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Psalm 143:10

Living in God's will is the intention to lay down our desire, and to patiently discern His direction. I realize that sounds so general, but practically, it means to pray, fast, read the Word, seek wise counsel, and keep moving forward where you are. Sometimes, we are exactly where we need to be and the lessons we learn as we wait are golden nuggets for the next chapter. If we do not know how to trust God, to be patient in adversity and unrest, we will never be given the next move. "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12). God's greatest desire is for us to fully commit, total trust, and a soft, open heart to His plan. For the vast majority of us, that is daunting, and not an easy task. We want answers, a path free of pitfalls, and instant gratification.

Do you know the song, "Peace Be Still," by Hope Darst? I urge you to listen. Here is a tiny excerpt.

Peace be still
Say the word and I will
Set my feet upon the sea
Till I'm dancing in the deep
Peace be still
You are here so it is well
Even when my eyes can't see
I will trust the voice that speaks

When we surrender to God's will, peace is the bi product. Peace comes when we place total trust and reliance in the hands of the Prince of Peace. Nothing else can bring calm to the storms in our life, or rest for our soul. We know this, but do we believe it enough to do it?

The last few years have been challenging for me. Career ending, new career starting, parenting challenges, sick, aging parents, and trying to just stay above the waves. The world is in battle, our cities are crumbling, our churches are struggling, and we are trying to be light in a dark world. How do we find hope when everything around us is dark and chaotic? Spurgeon provides a profound statement about hope.

"Hope itself is like a star- not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity."

If we unpack this a little it becomes clear that hope is always present when we fix our eyes on the Lord. He is the shining star that never loses light, and hope is not limited to the brightest and darkest times of our lives. Why then does it seem like we feel hopeful when all is well, and search for hope when in despair? Maybe just maybe, we can shift our minds and hearts to seeing eternal hope in all circumstances. When we know hope is found in our Lord at all times, then our answer is to seek Him first in all things. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13).

We see Christian's signing off with blessings, or we read cards that offer blessings in the coming year. Have you stopped to think about what it means, and what God intended His blessing to look like? Blessing is defined as, "God's favor and protection." Matthew 5:1-12, The Beatitudes tell us exactly what being blessed looks like, how to bless others, and the reward promised to those who live their lives in this way.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Blessing is not a gift you buy or receive, a feeling, a paycheck, winning the lottery, or an expectation. Being blessed comes from living a life of service to God, to others, in humility and obedience. Our blessing is the greatest reward for being good stewards of God's land and people. Our blessing is the promise of eternity with our Saviour. It does not mean that we will not be blessed (different from biblical blessing) on earth with financial reward, success at work, or all the good things the world offers. We will never fully understand why some have more than others. What it does mean, is that the blessing God offers and intended is far greater than any amount of money, recognition, or earthly desire. True blessing is the result of being a blessing to those around us. We all need to re-centre and decide to stop being self focused, and start being others focused.

Finally, as I look back, after years of challenge, unrest, struggle, and also many good things, I clearly see the imprint of God's hand on my heart. He is taming my wild need for change, giving me grace and freedom to knock on doors, and He has very clearly directed my steps when I follow His lead. Like a child who needs to repeat poor behaviour time and again until they learn, so have I tested, fallen away, and tried to direct the course of my life. As I move from self direction, to divine direction, I am always amazed at the perfect peace, incredible hope, and longingly await the eternal blessing of living in God's will.

As I was recently reminded of Micah 6:8, we are called to "act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God." My prayer is that in all circumstances, and at all times, you can have the beautiful peace, hope and the eternal blessing of living in God's will.