Hearing, knowing, and following God’s Will in YOUR very own life.

At the sound of my voice/whistle, this red tail hawk has flown from over 100 yards away to land on my glove. Why? Well, it was my will to have him come to me. Also, Dak, (this red tail hawk), has a will of his on. He’s free to fly away at any time. He’s free to choose what his next move will be. In this case, it was Dak’s will to come to me. Look a there! My will and Dak’s will are one and the same. But Why?

Dak and I have a relationship. We are two completely different creatures, but yet we both want the same thing. In the sport of falconry, the hawks and falcons are trained/manned to come to the falconer when called. Every time, and I mean every time, we call them they get a tidbit of food. They learn quickly to follow the falconer because he will offer a tidbit of food. Even better, the falconer will give the hawk opportunities and an advantage to catch various prey for their next meal. It may be a rabbit, squirrel, and sometimes a quail. Hey, remember Dak is a bird of prey. Can I offer him a salad? That ain’t happening! He eats meat! My vegetarian friends out there have come to understand that they can refrain from eating meat. But Dak….. well, he wants meat for breakfast, meat for dinner, and what would he want for dessert? Yep, you guessed it. Meat.

Back to this knowing my will for the hawk. I want what’s best for this hawk. After all, while he’s in my possession, he IS my bird. I want to enjoy being around Dak. I get to admire and be amazed at his hunting and flying skills. There is no set agenda, no specific plan. It’s that I want a relationship with this beautiful hawk, much like many of you have a relationship with your dog, horse, or cat. My will for this hawk is to be involved with his everyday life.

Hmmm, so what’s this hawk’s will concerning me? I can promise you the very first day we met he was nothing but scared of me. Through the training/manning sessions, after several days he didn’t understand me. But he began to trust me. Yes! The relationship has been created!

All right. Let’s get a little serious here. Is there any way that your will for what’s going on in your life can be the same as God’s Will and what he wants in your life? We talked about the thermals in the air last week. These thermals are sought after by birds of prey to carry them on their journeys in the air. God offers you “thermals” to help you on your journey as well. For you to be in God’s will you’ve got to seek Him. For your will to be His will, you’ve got to get passed the “scared” part of this encounter. Get over the lack of understanding the relationship. Allow God to give you His training/manning/guidance and direction. How does He do that? He works through you! Your prayers, your meditations, your interactions with other Christians/church are ways that He develops this spiritual relationship with you.

In this modern world, it’s truly hard to hear God’s direction for me and you. It’s not because God’s not there. It’s because of distractions. So many things both good and bad pull us away from hearing God’s Will for our lives.

Here’s a perfect example. Turn on two different radios. then add the TV. Might as well grab 3 or 4 books. Now, grab a pencil and write down what you are going to do tomorrow. Be specific. Also write down the songs you are hearing, the show your watching, and the plot of each of the books your are reading. Oh, everyone knows you’ve also got to list a few things you’ve seen today on Facebook. Complicated? Confusing? Frustrating and Irritating ? You bet. But honestly isn’t that how we live our lives every day. How can you see the “thermals” that God is providing for you when all of life’s distractions are smothering you?

How do you see and hear God’s Will in your life? A huge step is to take time out from life’s distractions. Take a break. Don’t worry. Life and it’s busyness will be waiting for you to get back. Find you a quiet place in the wilderness. My wilderness is in the mountains of Colorado or the swamps of Mississippi. Where is your wilderness? It may be in the chair your sitting in right now. Anywhere that you can dismiss the distractions in your life for just a few minutes. Your car, your back yard, wherever you can focus on your will. And God’s Will. And can the two be the same? You praying, meditating, reading scripture are all ways to focus on God and His Will for you on this Christian journey.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Proverbs 8:17 ESV

Get rid of distractions. Look for God’s Will. Then ride the “thermals”!

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher