Discernment and the Sovereignty of God

Discernment and the Sovereignty of God Proverbs 16:33—The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Romans 12:2—Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. God is perfect (Matt. 5:48), sovereign (Deut. 32:39), and holy (Lev. 11:44). He makes no mistakes. Nothing comes to pass without his ordaining that it be so (Romans 11:36). He is light and in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Humans are accountable (Romans 3:19), sinful (Romans 3:23), and the best things about us are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). With that being said, I want to address how we as the church are to be discerning the sovereign will of our Lord. You may ask, “If God’s will is going to be done regardless, why should I pray ‘Thy will be done’? Why try to discern something that is out of your control?” There are several reasons for this. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he told them to pray “Your will be done”. The same is true for us. That answer may not be sufficient for your questions but it is sufficient for obedience. If you are given no other reason than that, it is sufficient. Now, before I start to sound too legalistic, let’s dig a little deeper. Much of our growing into holiness is about the means that get us to the end. In our attempts to discern the will of God, we are being sanctified. As we come to him, we see him, and he reveals truth. Truth about our sin, our situation, our plans. How can we come to him in this way? Through the final authority, his word. As you seek to know him and seek his will, your sin will be exposed. You can’t truthfully come to him without your infirmities being revealed. This is one of the reasons that we pray for his will and try to discern his will. The key is to come honestly, humbly, and prayfully. Even then only God decides whether he reveals or conceals. We are to be seeking his will, even if we don’t understand it. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”. (John 20:29)