The will to seek His will

by Jarrod Stackelroth

You have probably heard it all before. Comments like "Don't worry. When God shuts one door, He opens another," "He's got it all planned out" and "You'll be fine, just pray about it." If I had a dollar for every time I heard that from the lips of a wellmeaning church member, I wouldn't have to worry-at least not financially, because I wouldn't need to work again!

But what they say is true. God does have it worked out. There are still no easy answers; the voices still chorus and you still feel lost. I know-I've been there. I'm still asking. In a world where we can do almost anything we set our mind to, how do we decide what to do with ourselves, especially when seeking the elusive jewel that is "God's will"?

At high school-especially in my senior years-I struggled with this question every night. What should I do with my life? How can I make a difference? Where does God want me? One common response sounds particularly good: "‘For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). So I believed. I had faith. But no answers came.

The question I have found myself asking is why. Why the waiting? Why the confusion? If God is so powerful, why doesn't He just communicate directly and give us answers? I don't know the answers. I am still searching for them but I was recently encouraged by the story of Peter.

We all know how Peter failed-how he denied Jesus, cut off the servant's ear, and was boastful and impetuous, yet God used him to help kick-start the church. Peter was called to follow Jesus, to lay down his nets and fish for men.

In Matthew 14, we hear of Peter doing something that no other person has done since. He and the other disciples set out across the lake, while Jesus takes some time alone on the hillside. Then Jesus approaches the boat, walking on the water, and the disciples recoil in fear, believing Him to be a ghost.

Peter says "If it's really You, command me to come to You on the water."

Jesus replies, "Come."

So Peter sets out. For a moment, he is actually walking on water. The other disciples must have looked on in amazement. But Peter began to sink. Jesus had to pull him out, then reprimanded him for his lack of faith. Those in the boat worshipped Jesus and proclaimed Him the Son of God.

Peter was willing to answer God's call, even though it seemed impossible. In the middle of the storm, he still got out of the boat and sank. He would have felt hopeless, helpless and overwhelmed as the waves crashed against him. And, because Peter sank, the worship of all those in the boat was for Jesus.

Life is hard. The storms rage around us. Jobs are lost, bills go unpaid, relationships break down and God's will seems impossible to do or even to know. I'm sure Peter never forgot his experience of walking on water. It was probably one of his favourite stories to tell. And sometimes we have to get out of the boat, too.

We may walk or we may sink. Often there are no immediate answers and our faith is challenged. But God is there. We must cling to His hand so we don't sink. It is the only certainty in an uncertain world.

Yet even after Peter's amazing experience, he still denied Jesus. We are tested and we can be strengthened through the search, the journey to discover God's will-even if it is not clear at the time.

As I look back on my experience, I can see how God has led me: to Avondale College, to the role I hold now, to the fact that at the moment I am a writer and you are reading what I have to say.

Storms rage but life goes on. Broken hearts mend, things are replaced, bones heal, jobs are found, soul mates connect, and God's will is done-"on earth as it is in heaven" (see Matthew 6:10)-even if not yet completely.

And though we sink, we are strengthened. We are humbled and learn to feel for others. So the next time someone comes to you rocked by a storm and searching for God's will, do as Jesus did and hold out your hand.

This was an editorial from Record, September 26, 2009

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