Do you wonder sometimes if you are in God’s will…or if along the way you have slipped off the path He has for you? Many times those thoughts come when we are facing unusual or unrelenting challenges. Funding for the ministry is lagging…or lacking all together. We don’t sense God’s direction, or even His voice. Every turn seems to lead to another roadblock. What’s happened? Are we out of God’s will?

Some years back I was reading a devotion by my dear friend Joni Eareckson Tada. If there was ever one who had life-long challenges, it’s Joni. A broken neck in a diving accident as a teen. A life of living in a wheelchair. All the challenges that being a quadriplegic brings. That could certainly lead to questions about God’s will. Yet Joni had some profound insight that helped me better understand how we serve the Lord.

Think of the journey that Mary and Joseph took from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was over 100 miles. A five-day journey by foot. We don’t know if Mary rode a donkey or not. But for someone ready to deliver a baby, it could not have been comfortable. Pain. Exhaustion. Frustration. And then to arrive to find no place to stay.

So, here’s the question. Was Mary in God’s will or not in God’s will? With all she and Joseph were going through, were they on the right path for their lives? Joni Eareckson Tada reminded me that the ease of the journey is no measure of being in or out of God’s will.

If we are not careful, we will equate ease of life with being in God’s will. And… hardships probably mean we are out of God’s will. Right? Not necessarily so. The plan that the Lord has for you and for me may take us down some rough roads. There may be hardships, hurts, challenges, and roadblocks on your journey. But that may be the Lord’s way of showing you His power and His presence as you seek His strength and wisdom.

I don’t know what the coming year may bring, but there are several things I do know.

And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Exodus 33:14 NASB

You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

Psalm 16:11 NASB

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NLT

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

Psalm 23:4 NLT

And the LORD is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 31:8 NASB

Don’t let the challenges of life move you off the plan set out for you. The Lord is with you.

God’s best…