GOD’S WILL IS PROGRESSIVE

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way – Psalm 37: 23

One key characteristic of God’s Will relative to Man is that His Will is progressively revealed or released: But the word of the LORD was to them, “precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little…”  (Isa.28:13). God guides us in His Will “one step at a time. His Will for your life is like a scroll that unfolds daily. It is like driving a car at night. You only have enough light at a time to see some distance ahead: “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Pro.4:18).

God does not reveal the entire map or blueprint of your life’s journey before you start the race. He usually shows you the end from the beginning (your Vision), but veils the details in between for His progressive revelation. That is, He sometimes shows the Destination, not necessarily the Details along the way. God will lead and direct you one step at a time. For example, David was already anointed for the throne, and it was easy for him to have tried to accelerate God’s plan by killing King Saul and usurping the throne; but taking such a short-cut could have cut short his destiny. Rather, he allowed God to work out the details of His promise and ultimately made it to the throne in a glorious manner.

Why is the revelation of God’s Will progressive? First, even in the Bible, God revealed His Will progressively. We would make a mess if we try to unroll the entire scroll of His Will from inception. God gives us enough insight into the future to get us started. Otherwise, we’ll be overwhelmed by the details; and might be more discouraged than encouraged by the detours and stumbling blocks on the way. The progressive revelation of His Will calls for your faith: “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2Cor.5:7). Learning and doing His will requires living by faith (Heb.11:6,8). When God has shown us the destination, we tend to forge ahead impatiently, rather than wait on Him. Abraham learned the hard way that to jump ahead is costly.

All of God’s dealings with you are designed to break your self-reliance and make you more dependent on God: “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer.10:23). However, you are still responsible for whatever God reveals to you. His Will for your tomorrow builds on your fulfilling His Will for your life today. God does not give you a great assignment to do until you have proved faithful in a smaller work. The knowledge of His Will makes you responsible for it. You cannot ignore or rebel against it. He requires that you grow up, because the gravity of what He can reveal to you depends on the depth of your relationship with Him.