Devotionals for the Heart: God wants to gently guide you through life

The Gentle Guidance of God
A devotional by Tessa Huckstep

“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)

Finding the will of God can be a daunting task for most Christians.

In fact, finding the will of God can seem like an impossible task. Most of us have been led to believe that the will of God is illusive. We believe we have to read the entire Bible from beginning to end at least six times before we are ‘spiritual’ enough to know God’s will. We think that we have to be ‘super’ Christians to understand something like God’s will.

Or worse, some people experience FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) when it comes to the will of God. I am a Christian who is guilty of ‘fear of missing out’ on the will of God. What if God was speaking to me and I was not listening? What if I was supposed to hear a special sermon or inspirational message that would tell me exactly what I was supposed to do with my life and I missed it? What if I have completely missed God’s will and ruined my entire life?

STOP! That spiral of FOMO will never lead you closer to the heart of God, and therefore, has no place in your life. The first word from the acronym FOMO is ‘fear’. The Bible has a lot to say about fear, but simply put, ‘faith is greater than fear’. Faith is being able to step out in spite of your fear because you know that God will take care of you, no matter what.

One truth I always come back to concerning the will of God is this quote by C.S. Lewis: “For you will certainly carry out God’s purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John.”

God’s ultimate plan will come to pass. The book of Revelation is filled with God’s ultimate will and purpose. There is nothing you can do to stop God’s ultimate will. You can run from God. You can reject His plans for you. But in the end, God uses all things for His glory. It is not a question of ‘if’ you find God’s will for your life, but rather ‘how’ you fulfill that plan.

Many of us are searching for an emotional, dramatic, ‘Damascus Road’ (Acts 9:3-8) kind of calling. We are looking for God to directly give us permission to fulfill His will. But what if the will of God does not come in one dramatic experience? What if the will of God came in gentle whispers from the Holy Spirit? What if God is guiding us through His will right now, but we are too busy looking for extraordinary signs to notice?

What if we were never meant to ‘find’ God’s will for our lives, but rather, we are simply meant to live our lives one day at a time, trusting that God will guide us wherever He desires? That is what it means to live by faith. Faith does not rely on clearly written out plans. Faith is taking one step at a time, not knowing the destination but trusting the gentle hand of God to lead you.

Even when we think we have ‘figured out’ the will of God, life throws us a curveball and we realize we had it wrong all along. It may seem to us that there is no defined purpose in our lives, but we have to remember that we are only seeing things from our limited human perspective. God sees and knows all things.

Take that risky step into the darkness. Without risk, faith is not faith at all. We must be willing to submit and be gently guided by God toward our ultimate purpose. God loves you. He has thoughts of peace toward you. He is fighting for you. Take a risk and put all your plans into His hands.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for Your gentle guidance. Please strengthen our faith that we may fulfill Your will for our daily lives. Help us to submit to the Holy Spirit and lay our plans and agendas before you. Lead us to fulfill Your ultimate purpose for our lives. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “I Know the Plans (Audrey’s Song)” by Damaris Carbaugh. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Tessa Huckstep grew up in rural Illinois to Christian parents and has known Jesus personally since the age of five.

She is currently attending community college and majoring in elementary education. In the future, she plans to teach in the public school, hoping to bring the love of God with her.

God’s dream of Tessa becoming a writer was revealed to her at the age of sixteen and she hasn’t been able to stop since. Though she has not yet been published, Tessa enjoys writing historical romance novels and speculative fiction.

Tessa believes God loves stories, and through her writing, she wants to reveal the happily ever after God dreams of for each of his daughters—one where Jesus is the knight in shining armor.

Tessa loves all things Georgian/Regency, needlework, and dainty teacups of every size. When she isn’t writing or studying for exams, Tessa can be found in the kitchen with more flour in her hair and on the floor than in the mixing bowl, though the mess is always half the fun!

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Connect with Tessa:
Blog: https://beautifulbeloved937002841.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/101227159