…ye have not, because ye ask not… – James 4:2, KJV

You are faced with a decision, and the only thing you really want to do is obey God’s will. But, you really aren’t sure what God’s will is. What should you do?

Missionary Amy Carmichael operated a shelter for at-risk youth in India from November 1895 until her death in January 1951. At one point she bore the burden of taking care of 700 people per day, and with that many mouths to feed, a typical six-month order of food went something like this: 46,130 quarts of milk, 77,181 eggs, 54,060 oranges, and 260,832 plantains (a fruit much like a banana)! In order to afford so great a number of supplies, Amy had a simple fundraising strategy: ask God alone to provide.

At one point in her ministry, Amy struggled with the question, “Should our ministry buy a car?” Amy and her helpers did not want to do anything contrary to God’s will, so they prayed regularly for three months about the matter. One day, Amy received a call to visit a sick girl in the hospital. In order to try to reach the girl, Amy suffered through two hours of riding in a rough, bouncy bandy (wooden cart), through fours hours of waiting in the hot sun along the roadside, and through a long ride on a jam-packed bus. After the long bus ride, she needed to transfer to another bus, but unable to find the right bus, she had to return home. After another horrible bandy ride – where, incidentally, the driver charged her three times the normal rate – Amy understood that her ministry really did need a car in order to save both time and money.

When she returned home, Amy’s secretary showed her that, during the three month’s they’d been praying, they had been able to pay all of their bills and save enough to buy a car! Amy immediately ordered a Ford, but she still wasn’t totally convinced she was spending God’s money the way He intended. A few days later, the ministry received a letter with one hundred and sixty pounds and a note: “To buy the Ford car. More money is coming.” At that point, Amy no longer questioned God’s will. He had made it perfectly obvious that He wanted the ministry to have that car!

Like Amy Carmichael, most of us struggle with understanding God’s will from time to time. Unlike Amy Carmichael, most of us never figure out what God’s will is because we don’t get on our knees and persistently ask Him for direction. We have not because we ask not, just like James 4:2 says.

When you’re trying to figure out which path to take, ask God for direction. Don’t ask Him once or twice and give up. Ask Him consistently, patiently, and faithfully, and then trust God to give you the right answer – whether you like the answer or not – at the right time. It took Amy three months to get her answer. It may take you three months, three minutes, or three years to get yours. But, if you’ll trust God for an answer, He’ll entrust you with an answer.

* Source material: I Dare: A five-part missionary series on the life of Amy Carmichael. A publication of Child Evangelism Fellowship. CEF, Inc., P.O. Box 348, Warrenton, MO 63383-0348. Copyright 1994.

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