Knowing God’s Will
Dear Phil,
How do I discover God’s will?
Jay
How do I discover God’s will?
Jay
Dear Jay,
Many young people experience mental anguish and soul torment because they fear “missing” God’s will, accidentally getting “out” of God’s will, or otherwise unintentionally failing to do God’s will. However, if you understand God’s nature, such anxiety is groundless.
1. God is more concerned about your knowing His will than you are. If you are in a dither over figuring out God’s will for your life, you should relax. The omniscient, sovereign, omnipotent God, who created you and brought you into the world for a specific purpose (Eph 2:10) is far more interested in helping you fulfill His purpose than you ever could be.
2. God doesn’t play games with us. God doesn’t hide in the bushes alongside life’s dangerous path, whispering so quietly that you will miss His warning and wreck your life at the bottom of some ravine. The God revealed in Scripture sends warnings, red flags, prophets, dreams, and even talking donkeys to get the attention of His people. He is the Good Shepherd who goes in front of His sheep so they know exactly where to go (John 10:4).
3. It is God’s job to shepherd you into His will. It is not your responsibility to “find” God’s will. Think about John 10:1–5 and Psalm 23. Are the sheep responsible to find their pasture? Are the sheep responsible to figure out where the shepherd wants them to go? On the contrary! It is the shepherd’s responsibility to lead us to right paths and green pastures and beside still waters.
4. It is your responsibility to do God’s will. Here is your part: to follow the Good Shepherd. God doesn’t need you to know the future or to be a good spiritual forecaster. All God requires of you is to do what He has told you to do. Now stop and think a moment before you protest, “But that’s exactly the problem! I don’t know what God wants me to do.” Isn’t the Bible God’s revelation of what He likes and doesn’t like? Isn’t there an amazing amount of information about God’s will already given to us in Scripture? For example, “Children obey your parents.” “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.” “Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”
You may be thinking, “Yes, I know all that. But it’s what I don’t know that’s bothering me.” Jesus taught in John 7:17 that the only way to know God’s will is to be willing to do His will. If you aren’t doing what you already know is God’s will, you are in no position to learn God’s will about what you don’t know. If you aren’t obeying God right now, all your pleas for God to reveal His will to you are empty. Start obeying, and God will provide guidance by His Spirit (Rom 8:14).
Scripture gives us at least five criteria for discerning God’s guidance in our lives:
In my next column I’ll address the role our spiritual gifts play in discerning God’s will.
Blessings,
Phil
Many young people experience mental anguish and soul torment because they fear “missing” God’s will, accidentally getting “out” of God’s will, or otherwise unintentionally failing to do God’s will. However, if you understand God’s nature, such anxiety is groundless.
1. God is more concerned about your knowing His will than you are. If you are in a dither over figuring out God’s will for your life, you should relax. The omniscient, sovereign, omnipotent God, who created you and brought you into the world for a specific purpose (Eph 2:10) is far more interested in helping you fulfill His purpose than you ever could be.
2. God doesn’t play games with us. God doesn’t hide in the bushes alongside life’s dangerous path, whispering so quietly that you will miss His warning and wreck your life at the bottom of some ravine. The God revealed in Scripture sends warnings, red flags, prophets, dreams, and even talking donkeys to get the attention of His people. He is the Good Shepherd who goes in front of His sheep so they know exactly where to go (John 10:4).
3. It is God’s job to shepherd you into His will. It is not your responsibility to “find” God’s will. Think about John 10:1–5 and Psalm 23. Are the sheep responsible to find their pasture? Are the sheep responsible to figure out where the shepherd wants them to go? On the contrary! It is the shepherd’s responsibility to lead us to right paths and green pastures and beside still waters.
4. It is your responsibility to do God’s will. Here is your part: to follow the Good Shepherd. God doesn’t need you to know the future or to be a good spiritual forecaster. All God requires of you is to do what He has told you to do. Now stop and think a moment before you protest, “But that’s exactly the problem! I don’t know what God wants me to do.” Isn’t the Bible God’s revelation of what He likes and doesn’t like? Isn’t there an amazing amount of information about God’s will already given to us in Scripture? For example, “Children obey your parents.” “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.” “Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”
You may be thinking, “Yes, I know all that. But it’s what I don’t know that’s bothering me.” Jesus taught in John 7:17 that the only way to know God’s will is to be willing to do His will. If you aren’t doing what you already know is God’s will, you are in no position to learn God’s will about what you don’t know. If you aren’t obeying God right now, all your pleas for God to reveal His will to you are empty. Start obeying, and God will provide guidance by His Spirit (Rom 8:14).
Scripture gives us at least five criteria for discerning God’s guidance in our lives:
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In my next column I’ll address the role our spiritual gifts play in discerning God’s will.
Blessings,
Phil