PART THREE: How?

THE FIRST STEP

In your own words, below, summarize the following Scripture passages:

Job 11:7-8

Romans 11:33-34:

1 Corinthians 2:14:

What difficulty do these passages present in your quest to know God’s ways and to walk in step with Him? After you have written your response, ask the Lord to encourage you and reaffirm your desire to understand His ways so that you may know Him better. Can you sense the desire to grow closer to Him increasing within you? The more you know about Him, the more you will reveal His love and goodness to those around you.

SEEKING HIS PATH

Aren’t God’s ways so beyond us that we can never understand them? Surely there have been times in our lives when we didn’t comprehend what He was doing. In Isaiah 55:8–9, He Himself proclaims, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways … As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” God’s wisdom and sovereignty are far above the realm of human knowledge. So is it even possible for us to truly know the Lord?

Your experiences will shape how you view this question, and there may be times during your journey with God when you grow discouraged trying to understand Him at all. But even if this happens, don’t give up. The Lord is unfolding His plan for your life. You may wonder what He is doing in a certain confusing situation or why He let so many hardships overwhelm you during a certain season. Keep moving in step with Him because He knows exactly what He is doing. The Father allows these times to show you that you can’t do it on your own—your will, strength, talents, and wisdom are not enough and never will be. He permits them to teach you that unless He reveals His ways to you, you will never be able to learn them or discover how to walk in step with Him.

This may seem strange to you. Why would God choose such a difficult process to instruct you? Why does your heart have to be so open, vulnerable, and many times even fragile to learn His truth? It is because this is the most effective way to build your faith—to teach you to rely upon Him. He also wants you to stop thinking only of yourself. Remember, He came to earth as a servant—not as a King or Ruler. Jesus offers Himself to you because He wants you to experience the same type of intimacy He enjoys with the Father. He also wants you to enjoy the fellowship and company of other believers. Therefore, He seeks to move you beyond the fallible strength, unsatisfying desires, and painful wounds of your heart so you will learn to depend upon Him (Jer. 17:7–10) and be willing to open yourself up to others. God is gentle, wise, and powerful enough to do this in a way that will build you up, rather than destroy you.

DEEPER IN INTIMACY; FURTHER IN OBEDIANCE

Are you willing to allow Him to teach you? If you are a believer, you took the first step toward learning His ways when you accepted Jesus as your Savior. He drew your heart to Himself—to His perfect provision of salvation—and taught you that it is only by faith in His grace that you are saved (Eph. 2:8–9). You responded by trusting Him. He teaches you to walk in step with Him in much the same manner. Through His Holy Spirit—who came to live in you the moment you accepted Christ as your Savior (Eph. 1:13–14)—He draws you, provides exactly what you need to learn, and leads you to respond to Him in faith and obedience (1 Cor. 2:9–16). This becomes your way of life.

YOUR WALK OF FAITH

In order to learn to walk in step with God, you must admit that you cannot find Him on your own—you have to have His help. On the lines below, write a prayer of submission and express your trust that just as the Lord is able to save you, He is able to teach you His ways.