Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

  - Romans 12.2

What he conceived keeping vigil,/by action he ascertained.

  - Dallan Forgaill, Amra Choluimb Chille (Irish, 7th century)

How can we know the will of God?

If I've been asked that question once, I've been asked it a thousand times. God does have a good and acceptable and perfect will for each of our lives, and He has given us His Spirit to bring us into line with His will in ways that please Him and benefit us and others (Phil. 2.13).

But discerning His will can be a challenge. According to Dallan, Colum Cille was adept at living out the will of God. In this brief couplet he gives us a glimpse of how the great Irish missionary/scholar accomplished this feat.

First, he meditated. Colum spent long hours seeking the Lord, poring over Scripture, praying and worshiping, and waiting in silence for some direction from the Spirit. He sank himself - mind, heart, and conscience - into as much of God as he could discern, waiting in his meditations for the Lord to prompt one way or another.

In due course he would conceive a plan or course of action, which he would continue to refine in meditation, thinking aloud and to himself before the Lord concerning the shape his next steps might take.

Then he would act. By acting Colum would "ascertain" ("determine") what the will of God was for his life in any matter. He would launch the course he had conceived in his mind as a result of his meditations, and then he would follow wherever the Lord led him as he took the next steps. Thus he would confirm, one way or another, what seemed to be the Lord's will for his life.

Pray, meditate, plan, act, assess; pray, meditate, plan, act, assess - here is a formula for discovering God's will for your life in any situation. God has made us to be people who act (Eph. 2:10). If we can sink into Him, wait in silence for Him to move and guide us, work out plans as we continue our communion with the Lord, and then begin to act, we will find the Lord is there to meet, guide, steer, redirect, or confirm our steps, according to His good pleasure and His will.

Above all, don't do nothing! God has a good and acceptable and perfect will for you. Prove it to yourself, and know the presence of the Lord with you, unfolding His Kingdom in and through your life.

T. M. Moore, Principal

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