What To Do When God's Will Isn't Clear | 02.15.26 | Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene

Devotional

Day 1: The Power of Presence in Our Shared Journey

There is a profound strength found when we gather together, not merely as an audience but as a family. In walking with one another through both struggle and celebration, we embody the very essence of what it means to be the church. This shared journey is not about performing spiritual acts but about offering our genuine presence to each other. Such connection forms us and reminds us that we do not walk alone. It is in these moments that ministry becomes tangible and God’s love is felt most deeply.[36:07]

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

Reflection: Who in your life is currently walking through a difficult season where your simple, prayerful presence could be a tangible encouragement to them this week?

Day 2: Trusting God When His Will Isn't Clear

The most challenging aspect of discerning God's plan is not obedience when the path is clear, but trust when it is not. In seasons of waiting, we often feel a deep tension and a desire to simply do something to relieve the uncertainty. This discomfort can reveal our own desire for control and our impatience with God’s timing. Yet, these waiting seasons are often where God does His deepest formative work within us, shaping our character more than the clear seasons ever could.[43:30]

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

Reflection: What specific circumstance in your life right now makes you feel the most restless or impatient for a clear answer from God?

Day 3: The Danger of Abandoning God's General Will

When God’s specific direction for our lives seems unclear, we must be careful not to neglect what He has already made abundantly clear. His general will—how we are always called to live—never disappears, even when we are waiting for specific instruction. Impatience in our waiting can lead us to manufacture our own solutions, which often results in creating modern-day idols of control, comfort, or security. Remaining faithful to what we know is always the right response when we are uncertain of what to do next.[53:29]

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

Reflection: In what practical area of your life might you be tempted to take control rather than remain faithful to God’s general commands while you wait for specific direction?

Day 4: God is at Work in the Waiting

What feels like silence from God is often not absence but purposeful activity. While we wait at the base of the mountain, confused and uncertain, God is actively at work on the mountain, forming covenants and shaping our future. Our perspective is limited, but His plan is unfolding perfectly, even when we cannot perceive it. The delays we lament are frequently the very instruments God is using to protect us and prepare us for what is next.[56:58]

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

Reflection: Can you identify a past season of waiting where you can now see God was actively at work, even though you couldn't perceive it at the time?

Day 5: Active Postures for a Season of Waiting

Waiting on God is not a passive activity but a discipline of faithful trust. It is a call to stay near to His presence, His people, and His promises. This active waiting involves engaging in the things God has already commanded: loving sincerely, being devoted to one another, and remaining faithful in prayer. By focusing on our obedience to His general will, we position our hearts to receive His specific guidance in His perfect timing.[01:04:19]

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:9-12 (NIV)

Reflection: Which one act of obedience from Romans 12—such as forgiving someone or reengaging in prayer—can you focus on this week while you wait for clarity in other areas?

Sermon Summary

The gathering emphasizes the power of embodied prayer and mutual presence as essential to formation, not mere ritual. Physical connection during prayer models the church’s call to walk together through struggle and growth. Recent personal loss illustrates how presence, cards, and prayers sustain a family, showing that silence often signals solidarity more than it does absence.

The talk frames discovering God’s will as an ongoing life journey rather than a one-off answer. Seeking the next step often exposes a desire for control; clarity sometimes arrives as instruction, but more often as seasons of waiting that refine character. Waiting exposes appetite for certainty and tempts movement toward quick, lesser solutions; yet those slow seasons frequently shape faith more than immediate answers ever do.

The Exodus narrative becomes the central illustration: generations waited centuries for promise fulfillment, and Moses’s repeated ascents to the mountain display a rhythm of returning for instruction. While Moses met God in prolonged communion, the people at the mountain base pledged obedience but grew restless during his forty-day absence. That restlessness produced an attempt to manufacture certainty—a golden calf—revealing how delay can push a community toward tangible but false securities.

A distinction between God’s specific will and God’s general will anchors practical guidance. Specific directions may remain hidden, but general commands—love sincerely, devote to one another, keep spiritual fervor, be patient in affliction, and remain faithful in prayer—remain clear and actionable. Romans 12 serves as a roadmap for what faithful waiting looks like: active presence, disciplined trust, and obedience in the ordinary. Waiting functions as formation: it is not passive but a time where love deepens, faith strengthens, and character is forged.

Three anchor postures translate the teaching into steps: stay in God’s presence, stand on God’s character, and obey God’s general will while awaiting specific direction. Practical next steps include a thirty-day waiting challenge of daily reflection on Romans 12, journaling one thing God forms through waiting, identifying the “fleas” that might actually protect and shape, and replacing impatience with a concrete act of obedience—pray, forgive, serve, or reengage in spiritual rhythms. Baptism models trusting Jesus amid unanswered questions and celebrates steps of faith even when the entire path remains unseen.

Key Takeaways

1. Active waiting shapes deep faith Waiting does not stall spiritual progress; it cultivates endurance, refines desires, and exposes what the heart truly wants. Seasons of delayed clarity pressure commitments, strip away illusions of control, and invite disciplined trust that produces lasting transformation rather than temporary movement. Embracing the discipline of waiting allows spiritual formation to occur in the hidden work of character building. [41:48]
2. General will guides daily obedience While specific directions may remain unclear, God’s general commands—love, devotion, prayerfulness, and patience—offer steady, actionable ground. Living into these broad instructions keeps practice tethered to God’s character and prevents reactive decisions made from fear or haste. Obedience to what is already revealed becomes the faithful posture in the meantime. [57:18]
3. Impatience manufactures smaller idols Restlessness in delay often drives people to create visible certainties—control, comfort, approval—that masquerade as security but function as idols. Manufactured solutions meet the need for immediacy at the cost of fidelity to God’s timing and goodness. Recognizing this tendency invites repentance and redirects energy toward trust and obedience. [61:47]
4. Stay near: presence, character, obedience Proximity to God, proximity to community, and continued obedience to broad commands form the three anchor postures for times of uncertainty. Remaining near prevents drift from the last revealed truth, softens hearts through trust in God’s character, and keeps hands busy in faithful acts rather than anxious fixes. This posture prepares people for whatever specific direction comes next. [58:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[35:03] - Prayer, Presence, and Formation
[36:34] - Grief, Gratitude, and Church Family
[37:28] - Series: Discovering God’s Will
[40:05] - Waiting, Control, and Desire for Certainty
[44:11] - Exodus: Generations of Waiting
[48:30] - Moses on the Mountain
[52:25] - Restlessness and the Golden Calf
[57:18] - Romans 12: Living God’s General Will
[58:49] - Three Anchor Postures for Waiting
[64:54] - Practical Next Steps and Baptism
[69:09] - Closing Prayer and Celebration

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Romans 12:9-12 (ESV)
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Observation questions

According to the passage, what are the specific, active commands given for how to live?
What does the story of the Israelites at the base of Mount Sinai reveal about what happens when people grow restless waiting for clarity? [52:25]
What are the three anchor postures suggested for a season of waiting? [58:49]
In the story from the hiding place, what was the unexpected purpose of the fleas? [56:34]

Interpretation questions

The golden calf was a manufactured solution to the tension of waiting. What are some modern-day "golden calves" people might create when they grow impatient for God's specific direction? [01:01:47]
How does the distinction between God's "specific will" and "general will" provide a practical framework for navigating periods of uncertainty? [53:51]
The pastor stated that "waiting seasons have often shaped me more than the clear ones." [41:48] Why might a season of waiting and refinement be more formative for faith than a season of immediate clarity and action?
In the story of the Israelites, God was actively working on the covenant while the people felt abandoned at the mountain's base. [53:07] How does this change the way we perceive periods when God feels silent?

Application questions

Impatience often produces idols of control, comfort, approval, and security. [01:02:03] Which of these idols are you most tempted to manufacture when you are waiting for an answer from God?
What is one "flea" in your life—an irritation or difficulty you’ve been praying for God to remove—that He might actually be using to protect you or shape you for a purpose you can't yet see? [01:06:28]
The general will of God calls us to be "faithful in prayer." [58:05] When was the last time you carved out intentional, undistracted time to simply be in God's presence and listen, not just present a list of requests? What would it look like to reengage that this week?
Instead of waiting passively for specific direction, what is one act of obedience to God's general will that you can do today? (e.g., forgive someone, serve, have a hard conversation, rejoin a small group). [01:07:05]
Active waiting involves trusting God's character when His plan is unclear. [01:00:13] What specific situation are you facing right now where you need to choose to trust that God is good, faithful, and sovereign, even though you don't have the answers?
How can you practically "stay near" to God's presence and His people this week to help you navigate a current season of uncertainty? [01:02:32]

Sermon Clips

When we can't control God's timing, we often are tempted to manufacture our own certainty even if it is less than the best that God has for us. But manufactured certainty always costs more than patient trust. If you find yourself in a season where God feels unclear in his specific will for you, I wanna gently offer you this advice. Stay near. Stay near. Near to his presence, near to his people, and near to his promise. When you stay near to those things, the clarity and the purpose has a way of working itself out and allows us to walk through the waiting with more confidence. [01:02:05] (48 seconds) #StayNearStayPatient

When when you continue to read through this list what you see is is knowing God's will is less about a decision to be made and more about a posture that we stand in. A posture of waiting because waiting in God's kingdom is never wasted. It's where love deepens and faith is strengthened, where character forms. Waiting isn't passive. It's faithful presence. [00:58:14] (27 seconds) #WaitingAsPosture

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What To Do When God's Will Isn't Clear | 02.15.26 | Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene | #GodsWill