Muller on God’s Will

This Sunday we will be in Acts 25 and I’m asking the question: How can we wait, obey and trust like Paul did?

We’ll answer that question with some practices to help us grow, but  it also got me to thinking on my hero, George Muller. It’s been a while since I visited ole George, so I grabbed my “Narrative of Some of the Lord’s Dealings with George Muller” and visited my old friend. Of course we’ll be hearing from George Sunday to try to imitate his godly example, bur it was also refreshing to revisit Muller’s counsel on discerning God’s will.

That has been a great need this week. Heck, it should be a daily need, but I get so enamored with my ability to “rescue” myself that I forget I need to wait, trust God, know his purposes and let him be my deliverer in all things small and great.

So, I ran over these faithful six friends from Muller’s counsel and thought I’d share them with you. Here are Muller’s six counsels on discerning the will of the Lord.

Enjoy!

1. I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s Will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.
2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
3. I seek the Will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.
4. Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s Will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
5. I ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to me aright.
6. Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.