Our everyday life is described as a race. We are off and running at this marathon called life, and each sunrise presents new challenges that we need to overcome as we hurry along.  All the while we know that God has provided for us the track the we are supposed to follow. But are we really following the right track that God has provided for us? Are we on the right track? And if we are, how do we stay on this right track?

Staying on the right track for me is being in the middle of God’s will. And being in the middle of God’s will is the safest place wherever it may be. One very good example was the story of Paul in the book of Acts chapters 27 to 28. He was falsely accused and so was imprisoned. Then he was transported to Rome under military escort. But heavy storms blew and Paul and the rest of the people he was travelling with were shipwrecked near the island of Malta. But because Paul was in the middle of God’s will he was protected. He finally arrived in Rome having survived a storm, a shipwreck and even a snakebite. What about if you are surrounded by typhoons, earthquakes, war, tornados and other natural disasters and calamities? Will it matter? The Bible says in 1 John 2:17, “The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” Every disaster and calamities will not matter at all for if you are following God’s will then you are on the right track. If you are on the right track because you are following God’s will then you have eternal life. But let me go back to the question, “How do we know if we are on the right track doing what God wants us to do?” In our lifetime, we face a lot of big decisions. When we graduate from highschool, we ask “What course will I take? Which college will I attend? Will I even get to college?” Afterwards we must decide about a job and whether to get married or remain single. “What is the best job out there? Who am I going to marry? Or should I marry at all?” But there are basic things that we have to deal with first before determining what God would like us do in any given situation in our lives. First and the most important, it is God’s will for us to be saved. For us to stay on the right track with the help of the Holy Spirit guiding us. We should have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. And whatever we are doing in life as a vocation or job should take a back seat if we do not have this kind of relationship with our Saviour. Secondly, not everything that happens is the will of God or “an act of God”. This saying is not always true. God is not willing that anybody should perish, but some are going to perish. It is a given, that all of us have done things in our lives which were not within the circle of God’s will. That we were and sometimes we are still going off track. God will not give us instruction to include in our prayers that His will be done if they were already done. This is the main reason why we should be pursuing the right track or the will of God in our lives. Because God’s will does not always happen, we have to do our best to search it out – this right track and to stay following this right track until we arrive in our final destination which is His kingdom. In my quest for this right track to follow, for me to determine the will of God for my life I read through the Bible with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. I listened to different pastors’ sermons and talks, read articles and books. At the end, I came to conclude that everything is grounded, should be grounded in the Word of God, good sense and good judgement in practical matters. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). This is our GPS. When we search for God’s will or if we would like to know if we are on the right track, we need to open the Bible more than we would normally do. We can ask God to help us find specific guidance for our lives in His Word. “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (1John5:14,15). When we want to know the will of God we need to pray more for His guidance and also we need to align our requests with His will. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” ( 1Corinthians 10:31). When seeking God’s will, let us make sure that we always glorify Him in every way possible avoiding choices/options that will dishonor Him. Our decisions and choices not only affect ourselves but we have to remember their effect on our neighbors – our spouse, parents, children, relatives, friends, even strangers. For “None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” (Romans 14:7). In every step, let us ask, “Lord is this going to impact more people for You and Your kingdom? Am I letting myself be a good witness for you to share Jesus Christ’s good news of salvation?” This is a vital factor in our day to day reflection whether we are on the right track and doing God’s will for our lives. It’s part of loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, physical body and strength. But if our lives are off track and we are struggling to make the right choice, if we are afraid where God might lead us – probably we are thinking that God will take us somewhere out there into a strange land or out of our comfort zone – let us have more faith and hope. Let us always remember His promise in Jeremiah 29:31 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”