Finding God’s Will? It’s Right Here!
Imagine walking with the two men on the road to Emmaus. Jesus has just been crucified in Jerusalem and Scripture tells us rightly that they are sad and confused.
Scripture tells us that Jesus appears to them on the 7 mile walk to Emmaus. The encounter leaves us a great example of what it means to find and follow after the will of God.
Some say that Jesus is serious but I find Him humorous. Imagine Jesus showing up and asking questions of these two men like; “Hey, what are you two talking about?” (Luke 24:17)
It strikes me funny that Jesus would then allow them to tell him all about his death and how they are feeling. But it’s here that we find how revealing their words really are.
First, the men tell Jesus (in disguise) that “He (Jesus) was a prophet” (Luke 24:19 NIV)… “But we had hoped the He (Jesus) was the One who was going to redeem Israel.” (verse 20 NIV). Notice that they speak of Jesus in the past tense, “He WAS a prophet”, “We HAD HOPED that He was the One to redeem Israel.” They had just witnessed Jesus’ death. But their words reveal how they really felt about Jesus as their savior. Maybe their hope for their salvation in Him had also died? They were feeling scattered like sheep without a shepherd. (see Ezekiel 34:5, Matthew 9:36)
Then Jesus began to explain the Scriptures to them bit by bit. Jesus is shepherding them on this long 7 mile walk. The men are intrigued in what this man in disguise has to say. After reaching the destination of Emmaus, humorously Jesus acts as if He were going to walk further on but the men wanted to hear more and invited Him to stay.
In fact they use the words “Abide with us.” Luke 24:29 says ….But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us (abide with us), for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.
Not only do the men speak of Jesus in the past tense but now they want this new leader (they don’t know it’s Jesus) to abide with them. Christians will know this backwards. We are to abide in Jesus, right? Not the other way round.
This all brings me to my point, that finding God’s will for our lives is all wrapped up in this one passage from Scripture.
Travel back in time to Jesus walking the streets of Israel as His ministry unfolds. He calls the 12 and says “follow me.” One by one they follow. The disciples grow in number and soon multitudes are following Jesus. Jesus is the good shepherd, He is the bread of life, He is the living water, He is the light of the world. The list on names and character qualities goes on but all of these titles must remind us that all these things sustain life; food, water, and light. They are all life-giving. A good shepherd leads His sheep along.
Keep in mind that Jesus never said follow “John the Baptist,” or “Go to church”, etc. Jesus said “follow me” and that’s what we must do. THAT IS HIS WILL FOR US!
The men on the road to Emmaus thought that Jesus was gone/dead. They spoke of Him in the past tense. They were ready to follow another. But the message has never changed. Jesus says follow me.
Can this be the will of God to simply “follow Him?” Yes.
Let me leave you with an incredible illustration from the late missionary and author Elisabeth Elliott. While in Ireland many years ago Mrs. Elliott found herself with a shepherd’s wife named Mari. The two watched as Mari’s husband John and his dog Mack worked to round up the sheep in the field. Elisabeth says she was amazed at what the dog could do simply by listening to the master’s call. The dog could even separate the male sheep from the female sheep and corral them when they refused and wanted to wander off on their own.
Christians will know that God calls us sheep. As the old hymn says like sheep we too are “prone to wander.”
Here’s the point that Elisabeth made after watching John the shepherd and Mack the dog. IF we are like sheep (as the Bible says we are) then knowing the will of God is easy. Elisabeth says, “Have you ever stopped to think that the sheep really don’t care where they’re going?” She says, “It’s the shepherd that is concerned with where they’re going. It’s his job to care where they’re going.”
So, here’s the point. If Jesus is our Good Shepherd (and He says He is), then can’t we trust Him to get us where we need to go? Isn’t Jesus, like any good shepherd more concerned with where we’re heading?
Prone to wander? Of course we are. We are like those sheep. But the will of God hasn’t changed. It’s the same for those initial 12 apostles, it’s the same for the multitude of disciples that followed Him around Israel. It’s the same for those two men on the road to Emmaus and it’s the same for you and me. Jesus says “Follow me.” That’s His will for us. Easy? You bet. Follow Him.
By the way, it didn’t just start with Jesus. Consider the Old Testament with Adam and Eve walking with God in the garden. Consider God’s leading the Hebrews through the desert away from Egypt using a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He has never changed. He is our constant leader, our Good Shepherd, and the One that we must follow. (Acts 4:11–12). He leads, we follow. It is that simple.
Finally you need to know that His will is coupled with this promise found in Matthew 28:20 “…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The verse doesn’t say “to the end of the Earth.” It says “to the very end of the age!” Until time itself is no more. That is an incredible Shepherd. Willing to lead us and simply asks us to follow.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He will never leave us nor forsake us and He is with us always, even to the very end of the age!
(Patrick Herman is an author, radio announcer for the Pilgrim Radio Network and blogger. He lives with his wife and four kids in Carson City, Nevada).
