Lord, What Do You Want Me To Do?

“And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do”

(Acts 9:6).

Knocked down on the road, Paul asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” He never stopped asking this question throughout his life and ministry. It is the same question we should ask.

In earnest conversations among believers, the “will of God” is often discussed. In each step of our Christian walk, we want to be confident that we are doing the Lord’s will. Christians have a true longing to please the Lord.

The will of God is not a destination or an end in itself. It is a progressive journey experienced daily throughout a lifetime.

Daily we should ask, “Lord, what is your agenda for today? What is Your plan?”

Paul told his friends and followers, “I will return again unto you, if God will” (Acts 18:21).

James advised, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:14-15).

Dan Southerland in Transitioning: Leading Your Church Through Change gives a working definition of God’s will.

& Doing the right thing

& In the right way

& For the right motive

& At the right time

The writer of Hebrews calls us “pilgrims” on this road called “life.” The Christian life is often referred to as the Christian walk, a journey. As we journey, many times we see only as far ahead as the road will allow. We do not see what is around the next bend, or what is beyond the roadblock. However, we know there is a God leading us who does see.  He knows the way because He is “the way” (John 14:6). We must stay on His road and keep going, even when we cannot see far ahead. We must continue walking in the will of God though the view may be short. We persist to “walk by faith, not by sight”  (2 Corinthians 5:7).

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

Preparing for any journey requires groundwork. This includes the daily journey in discovering and obeying the will of God.

& Daily present your body a living sacrifice. Visualize placing yourself on the altar of sacrifice surrendering yourself and your will to God (1 Corinthians 15:31, Matthew 10:38-39). Someone has said, “In God’s service, our greatest ability is our availability.”

& Don’t be conformed to this world. The world’s thinking and solution may not apply in spiritual situations. Let your heart be fixed on the Lord (Psalms 57:7). Focus your attention on Him. Get the Lord’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).

& Trust the Lord for direction.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

& Do not try to work out His will with your limited understanding.  Ask for the mind of Christ  (1 Corinthians 2:16-3:1).

& Acknowledge Him through prayer, fasting, and reading His Word  (Jeremiah 33:3). 

& Develop a listening (spiritual) ear to hear the Lord’s voice (John 10:3-8, 1 Kings 19:12, Mark 8:18).

& Wait until the answer comes (Lamentations 3:25-26, Psalms 130:5, Isaiah 40:31).

& God will order and direct your footsteps.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way” (Psalms 37:23).

& Finally, “whatsoever he saith unto you, do it” (John 2:5).

You may be thinking, “That all sounds so simple, yet finding the will of God has been difficult for me.” The longest journey begins with a single step. God reveals His will as we walk with Him from day to day. We place a lot of emphasis on the journey ahead. This results in worry—needless worry. Concentrate on doing what God has revealed to you. Proceed as far as you can see. When you get to the bend in the road, God will be there. He will let you know all you need to know about the next phase of the journey. Happy traveling!

1.     What question(s) did Saul (Paul) ask on the Damascus Road?

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2.     Explain the will of God by relating it to a journey.

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3.     What should we ask on a daily basis?

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4.     What is the working definition of God’s will?

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5.     What does the writer of Hebrews call us?

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6.     How can we present our bodies as a living sacrifice?

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7.     Why should we not be conformed to this world?

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8.     Quote Proverbs 3:5-6.

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9.     What kind of mind should we ask the Lord for?

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10.            What should we do until the answer comes?

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11.            Who will order our footsteps?

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12.            What is the result of putting emphasis on the spiritual journey ahead (that we cannot see)?

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13.            Instead of placing emphasis on the journey ahead that we cannot see, what should we do?

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