–Ernest Haycox  (Grim Canyon)

       “And He spoke a parable to them:  ‘Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall in the ditch?'”

                    –Luke 6:39 (NKJV)
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I would usually ask my Bible classes, “Who would like to know God’s will for their lives?”  And most of the students would answer in the affirmative.  “Well, I’ve got good news for you,” I would say.  “I know what it is.”  I would then tell them that God’s will for their lives at this point in their lives was to be in school.  “Groooan!”
     Very seldom does God show a person the plan for their life in advance.  Moses, for example, living in the house of Pharaoh could not have imagined that he would one day be leading millions through the desert to the Promised Land.  Or David, tending the sheep could not have seen that he would be king of Israel.  Or Daniel, living in Jerusalem was not shown that he would be captive and that God would use him mightily in Babylon.  Abraham was told to pick up and go.  Go where?
     Francis Chan puts it well, “I think a lot of us need to forget about God’s will for my life.  God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year.  In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today’s decisions.”  In other words, we are not to be concerned about God’s will next year, but we need to commit to following Him today, and then the next day, and so on.
     Being raised in Pentecostal circles I have seen just about everything.  There are plenty of abuses when man tries to manipulate the Holy Spirit instead of letting the Spirit guide them into all truth.  I will say it here:  beware of personal prophecy.  Don’t get caught into letting someone else, good intentions or otherwise, tell you what the Spirit wants for your life.  You should already know–He wants obedience to the Word of God.  There was an incident in my life when someone came and “prophesied” over me saying that I was to be a missionary to Japan.  The thought had never been in my mind, but later, several years later in fact, I found out that the person who spoke over me was a missionary to Japan.  He was trying to project his “calling” on me.  If you have someone do this, it should be in confirmation of what the Spirit is already speaking to you.
     Now, I don’t reject the idea of God calling people into ministry, but that still does not show what His will is.  In fact, all of us are called to be a minister of the Lord, “living letters.”  Oh, it may not be a pastor, but whatever we do we should do for the glory of God.  Paul, a persecutor of Christians, becomes one of the leading apostles writing much of the New Testament.  Did he know that when he was struck blind on the Damascus’ road?
     God doesn’t promise us a “twenty-year plan of action,” in fact, we are not promised tomorrow.  What He does promise is that He will never leave us or forsake us.  (Chan)   Paul tells us, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25, NKJV)  If we walk in the Spirit won’t we then know God’s will?  Psalms 37 gives us some information regarding God’s will for our lives.  David writes, in verse 5, “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” (NKJV)  As we commit our walk, as we trust in Him, His will is revealed.  Many misuse the previous verse (4); they will quote and claim, “He shall give you the desires of your heart (NKJV).  Hmmm, the heart is deceitful; the heart can have us make an emotional decision, one that is wrong and not in the will of God.  To claim that promise we must first obey the first part of the verse, “Delight yourself also in the LORD.”  Then we add verse 5 to it and we are on our way to finding God’s will.
     Later in that same psalm we have another clue as to God’s will for us.  “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.” (23, NKJV)  Take a step–then understand you are in God’s will.  “God wants us to listen to His Spirit on a daily basis, and even throughout the day, as difficult and stretching moments arise, and in the midst of the mundane.” (Chan)  Part of knowing the will of God is to follow the words of Jesus, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23, NKJV)

                    –Psalm 16:1 (NKJV)
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Many, many…many years ago, when seeking direction from the Lord as to what type of ministry I should be involved in, I held a small evangelistic meeting.  On Sunday morning, I announced that I would be preaching on “Faith” in the evening service.  Now, this was the day of the hyper-faith, blab it and grab it teaching.  Folks came expecting that Sunday evening.  “Faith is,” I started out, “waking up in the morning, brushing your teeth, having breakfast and coffee, getting dressed for the day and knowing that whatever comes your way that day, that God is in it.”  Well, to say the least, I got very few “amens”, and probably no hallelujahs.  Oh, and by the way, I found I was not to be an evangelist.
     But what is faith if not trusting in God?  Percy C. Ainsworth said, “Faith is not an act, but an attitude; not an event, but a principle; not a last resource, but the first and abiding necessity.”  This morning I want to draw your attention to Psalm 62:8 for contemplation.

               “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.   Selah”
                           –Psalm 62:8 (NKJV)

Trust is not for a moment, or a particular situation, but all times.  It could be put this way, “trust in the Lord, no matter what!”  The Hebrew word for faith is to be translated “faithfulness.”  It is much more than just a statement about God, but it reveals a life of full reliance upon Him.  Faith, then is to be a lifestyle for “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6)  One writer said that to be full of faith is the “state of steady devotion to a person, thing, or concept.”
     Do not confuse the life of faith with the gift of faith found in 1 Corinthians 12.  Faith or faithfulness is a lifestyle.  It is living in accord with the truth of God’s word; living in the assurance that God’s word is truth and His promises are for us.  “Only the faith that can trust at all times can trust at any time.” (Ainsworth)  How do you handle the woes of this world except to live a life of faithfulness?  When it comes time for us to stand before God, He will say “well done, good and faithful.”  It is living this life of faith, of being faithful to obey God’s word that gets us through the everyday things of life as well as the traumatic things that may come our way.  Ainsworth states, “Faith does more than hold a man’s hand in the darkness; it leads him into the light.”
     We must not reduce life to a series of acts of faith, but develop the realization that every step we take should be in faithful agreement with the Word of God.  Abraham lived a life of faithfulness.  How about you?  “When faith has become a spontaneity of our character, when it turns to God instinctively, when it does its work with the involuntariness of habit, then it had become strong.” (Ainsworth)  Noah “became heir of righteousness which is according to faith (faithfulness).” (Hebrews 11:7)
     I would ask, are you a person of faith?  Do you trust in Him at all times…do you trust Him no matter what?  In the boat, when the storms rages and the waves crash, do you fear or do you live in faith knowing that God is in control of the situation and in control of your life?  Alistair Beggs tells us, “There’s something compelling about humble faithfulness—doing what we do, day in and day out, not in hope of praise but because it is the right thing to do.”  
     So how does one live a life of faithfulness?

          “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
          To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
                  –J. H. Sammis

                    –B. N. Rundell  (Tincup)

       “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

                    –Habakkuk 3:18(NKJV)
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I want to give a bit of assurance today–God is adequate!  He is there with each of us all the time and He is adequate for our needs.  “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31, NKJV)  or as the Living Bible puts it, “What can we ever say to such wonderful things as these? If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?”  
     There is no opposition that can crush us for God is our Sovereign Protector and has made an eternal commitment to us.  When days seem dark and gloomy be assured that God has not forgotten or overlooked our need.  The problem is that what we think our need might be could be different than what God knows our need to be.  Be assured when you pray, that He hears you.  Have confidence that He hears our cry.  Have the assurance, that trust, that He will belay all fear.
     As a child of God we can depend upon our heavenly Father.  As a child of God we should praise Him for who He is and for His wondrous deeds.  God always fulfills His word and revelation; His promises are sure and He will act accordingly.  As a child of God we should be prompted to pray.  It should be our purpose and aim to develop a deepening relationship with God.  Communion with Him should be life’s goal.  As a child of God we should pay our vows of faithfulness and thanksgiving.  

               “A sovereign protector I have,
                    Unseen, yet for ever at hand;
               Unchangeably faithful to save,
                    Almighty to rule and command.
               He smiles, and my comforts abound;
                    His grace as the dew shall descend,
               And walls of salvation surround
                    The soul He delights to defend.”
                             –Charles Wesley

     There is no good thing withheld from us.  Just ponder our redemption.  Think of the cost, how effective it is, and the consequences of our redemption.  Where is the accuser?  He has no hold on us for it is God who justifies.  No accusation from any quarter or person can ever disinherit us.  Know this–be assured–that Jesus is effective in His mediation.  The words of Paul should bring us comfort, “who can separate us?”  Rest assured–God is our keeper.  Rest assured–God’s love has no end.  These thoughts should help us keep our priorities straight.  Yes, Father, help us:  “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek.'” (Psalm 27:8, NKJV)
     I would encourage you to contemplate the rest of the week, Psalm 16.  Read it over and over.  I will close with two verses from this magnificent psalm of assurance.  “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot…  You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (16:5,11, NKJV)

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Hanging Woman Creek)

       “These little troubles (which are really so transitory) are winning for us a permanent, glorious and solid reward out of all proportion to our pain.”
                    –2 Corinthians 4:17 (Phillips)
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This morning we look at the second part of Psalm 121.  This is one of my favorite psalms and much can be gained by contemplating this short psalm.  If you use the NIV for your reading you’ll notice that the word “watch” is used five times.  That means, as George Wood says, “far more than the Lord looking at you.  He’s looking out for you, guarding and protecting you from the hardships and terrors of the trail, including exposure to sun and moon.”

          5 — The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
          6 — The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
          7 — The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.
          8 — The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.   (NKJV)

Notice that the Lord watches, He is your shade, He keeps, He stands beside, He preserves, He never sleeps or slumbers — do you think the Lord is trying to tell us something?  “He knows when the sun, the heat of circumstances, is too much for you.  He will give you shade.  But, He also knows when the moon tears at your viscera–when it brings you haunting memories of an action which caused you great injury…  He won’t let that ‘moon by night’ harm you.” (Wood)  
     Along the journey there are potential dangers and disasters that may come our way.  Jesus told us that we are not immune from trials; He said, “…In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer…” (John 16:33, NKJV)  We are not immune to trouble, just look at the life of Paul, or maybe better, take a glance at your own life.  No matter what, “we can never be separated from God’s love or God’s purposes.  He promises to preserve us from evil but not to pave over every pothole in life’s road.” (William J. Petersen)  Eugene Peterson explains further, “Christians travel the same ground that everyone else walks on, breathe the same air, drink the same water…The difference is that each step we walk, we know we are accompanied by God, we know we are ruled by God, and therefore no matter what accidents we experience, the Lord will preserve us from evil.”
     We are continually “going out” and “coming in.”  Every morning there is the getting up and going out to work, school, or some activity, and every evening there is the coming in.  Guess what?  The Lord was with you.  There is the going out to the workforce with all its complexities, stresses, temptations, and difficulties that may make the body weary and the heart sick.  Guess what?  The Lord is with you.  There is the peril of going out; there are dangers all around from terror, to threatenings, to shootings, to pestilence (remember COVID?)  There is the danger of being around those with “warped judgments, confused reckoning, and narrowed outlooks” (Percy Ainsworth)  Guess what?  The Lord is beside you.
     One of the real battles of life, says Ainsworth, is “not the toil for bread.  It is fought by all who would keep alive and fresh in their hearts the truth that man doth not live by bread alone.”  It is thus with all the other things that might affect.  There is also the coming in.  Ainsworth continues, “No home is safe unless faith be the doorkeeper…  Peace and safety were not of his making, but of God’s giving.”  There may be the coming of pain, of sickness, of death, but the Lord is there.  Even in the seasons of life there is the going out and the coming in.  Life moves on from one time in life to another; it cannot be stopped.  Once there was youth, now there is the graying of hair.  Once there was strength and vitality, now there is frailty and feebleness.  Guess what?  The Lord is there.  When troubles, doubts, pain, hardship, heartache, etc., approach, think of Jesus and remember — “it wasn’t until Easter morning that the preceding Friday was called good.” (Wood)

               “From God the Lord does come your certain aid;
               From God the Lord who heaven and earth has made.
               Above you watching, He whom you adore
               Shall keep you henceforth, yes, for evermore.”
                        –John Campbell