I don't think there is a genuine believer who has not, at least once in their lives, asked that question. It's a reasonable question. First, it assumes you care about it. Someone who had no interest in following and serving God would have no interest in what His will was. Second, it assumes you would be willing to surrender your will to His. Good choice. And, third, it suggests you are actively pursuing a relationship with God rather than ... meandering, as it were. All good things. Is there any way, then, that we can know God's will for our lives? Of course there is.
First, the easy one. God's will for your life is revealed day by day in the events and choices that occur. That is, everything that has happened in the past was God's will for your life. We know this because we have a Sovereign God who does as He pleases (Psa 115:3; Psa 135:6). "No one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" (Dan 4:35). If it happened, He intended it. Period. And that should provide some comfort. But what about our real question -- "What's next?" We're not left to guess. We have the Word. His Word is truth (John 17:17). What He says we should do. We often handle God's Word too lightly and then, when He says things like "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord" (Eph 5:23) we ask, "So, what does God want me to do in my marriage?" Or someone wants to know God's will about, say, drinking alcohol while ignoring fully, "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph 5:18). We have an entire book breathed out by God (2 Tim 3:16-17) designed to equip us for "every good work" and ask, "So ... what is God's will for my life?" How about if we start there?
Of course, not everything is covered in God's Word. What job should I take? Who should I marry? Where should I live? While there is a lot in Scripture to inform these kinds of things (like not to marry an unbeliever (2 Cor 6:14) or taking a job forbidden by Scripture), not everything is covered, but we are not left without guidance. I find it most clearly in a single verse (which is repeated in a variety of places in Scripture): "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17). Oh, and look! That was from Scripture! But, seriously, we are not left blind here. We have Scripture. We have the Holy Spirit. We have prayer. We have fellow believers. We have lots of sources that, if we pay attention, can direct us along the paths of righteousness ... for His name's sake (Psa 23:3). As long as our aim is to follow Him, to submit to Him, to please Him, to pursue Him. Oh, look! God's will for your life!!
4 comments:
How wonderful that those who follow Christ are not left in the dark regarding how to do so. Not only can we know God but we can also know how we should live in fellowship with Him. God’s Word and His Spirit will be my trustworthy guides for every step of my journey; that is true peace and contentment for me and an anchor in these troubled times.
Our primary purpose is to worship God and enjoy Him forever. If what we are wanting to do does not show love and worship of God, then we probably shouldn't be doing it. Inside those boundaries, we are free.
While all of that is True, I bet we all know people who are looking for God's will in their lives who would immediately act like Jonah is YHWH made His will clear and unambiguous. Maybe even us.
Craig, I think we all do at times when what He tells us (even clearly) to do is something we really don't want. Of course, the solution is not to do it; the solution is to fix our "want to."
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