A couple months ago, a commenter on this blog asked, “How can we know God’s will?” I promised her I would write a post about it at some point. So, here it is. Its a good question, and one I have often asked myself.
One reason God’s will often seems so elusive is because we start our inquiry in the wrong place. The question, “What is God’s will?” is not the beginning point. Rather, this question necessitates preparation. It is one for which we must ready ourselves. Before we ask, “What is God’s will?” we must first grapple with the larger questions looming behind it:
Do you believe God exist? There is no point in discussing God’s will if God doesn’t exist. If there is no God, there is no will of God. And, consequently, we are the sole determiners and guides for our own lives. If you still have questions about the existence of God, this is the place to start your exploration. You may be interested in listening to a debate between philosophers Dr. William Lane Craig and Dr. Austin Dacey on Does God Exist? You might also be interested in Anthony Flew’s book, There is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind.
If God does exists, what kind of God is he? If, as Deists believe, God created humanity but has no personal interest in his creation, we don’t need to concern ourselves with God’s will because God doesn’t care. He is detached and has left us to our own devices. Or, if God is an ill tempered and cruel god, why should we care about his will? His will is not in our best interest, and thus, not worth considering—except out of fear that he might blight us if we don’t do what he says.
Many religions throughout history have operated out of this sense of fear and effort to appease unpredictable gods. Some groups even went so far as to kill other human beings as sacrifices to persuade the angry gods to have mercy. The difference in Christianity is that, instead of expecting us to provide a sacrifice to appease him, God provided himself as a sacrifice for us. The God of Christianity is one of love. As John writes, “God is love” (4:8). Not only that, but this love results in God’s personal interest in humanity. Scripture states, “God loved the world in this way: he gave his Messiah [Jesus] in order to rescue us from death and give us life” (John 3:16). God wants to give us life. He cares about our welfare. Ultimately, this is the only viable reason to concern ourselves with the question of God’s will.
Do you really want to know God’s will? I’m not convinced that many of us do. Of course, we say we do because that is the “right” answer, but deep down we think our will is better than what God might ask of us. We would rather make decisions on our own terms and not submit to an outside Authority. Let’s be honest. If we don’t really want to know God’s will, then why bother concerning ourselves with it? The question “What is God’s will?” is only important if we intend to engage with the answer.
Are you willing to give up everything to do his will instead of your own? By definition, doing what God wants instead of what I want means I have to let go of my will to take up his. Yet, often when we ask, “What is God’s will?” we are not seeking his will as much as we are seeking his validation for our own will. In fact, we may even use his name as an “authority badge” to back up the decisions we want to make. People use God’s name to justify all manner of behaviors and ideas. In contrast, Jesus said:
- “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34).
- “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me” (John 6:38).
Doing God’s will is more than asking his opinion about what car to buy or what girl to marry. Doing God’s will means dedicating our very lives—our bodies, minds and souls—completely to his purposes. Someone once said: It’s not about asking God to bless what we are doing, but rather re-aligning ourselves to whatever it is God wants to bless. This is scary. It requires tremendous trust. What if we lean back and God doesn’t catch us? It is impossible to surrender ourselves in this way unless we grasp how crazy in love God is with us. His will is for our benefit. As Scripture states: “I am the Lord your God who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to My commands! Then your well-being would have been like a river” (Isaiah 48:17).
Even when we don’t always understand the “whys” of God’s will, even when doing his will may mean discomfort or pain for a season, we can hold fast to this truth: His will is ultimately for our well-being. This is why Jesus endured the cross; he knew the pain wouldn’t last. He did it “for the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). With utter determination, he set his face “like flint” toward Jerusalem to fulfill the mission God had purposed for him (Isaiah 50:5-7; Luke 9:51). So, also in our own lives, doing the will of God means relentless trust in a loving God. It means setting our face like flint toward his purposes no matter what obstacles or doubts assail us.
So where are you at right now?
Do you believe God exists?
Do you believe he loves you and has your best interest at heart?
Do you really want to know his will?
Are you willing to give up everything to take up his will instead of your own?
When you have answered “yes” to these questions, then you are ready to hear the answer to, “What is God’s will?”
To read more on this subject, please see the follow up post, Knowing God’s Will, Part II
6 Comments
April 7, 2008 at 5:16 pm
When you ask in English “What is God’s will?” there is a bit of a problem. While we have the one word “will” there are several in the Greek NT, the two primary meanings being “decree” (a determined purpose) and the other is “desire” or “wish.”
So, if you are asking what is God’s decreed will then we can only know what He has decreed (from before the foundation of the world) from what is revealed to us and our children in Scripture. (Deut. 29:29)
But if you are asking, “What does God desire of us?” then the answer is found in His moral law, rightly summed up in Micah 6:8:
“He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD requires of you
To do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God.”
Often people who saying that they want to know God’s will for their life are actually wanting to know how to make wise decisions regarding their vocation, education, marriage etc.
In that case we are to set all our plans before God (Proverbs 3:5-6), ask for wisdom in faith (James 1:5-8) and seek counsel from those who have Godly wisdom (Proverbs 1:5; 11:14; 12;15; 15:22; 19:20; 24:6). Then the Lord will direct our paths in the way in which we should go through His providence.
There is a good little book on this subject by Sinclair Ferguson called “Discovering God’s Will.”
April 7, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Excellent post, Karen. Your words are wise, as usual.
April 9, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Hi Rik–thanks for your thoughts. You are right, there can be different nuances to the meaning of words. Though in terms of God and his desires and commands, on a practical basis, I think I personally see it as “his wish is my command.” To me they would be same in one in how I live my daily life.
Also, I agree with you that most people are seeking to make wise decisions when they think of this question. I want to talk more about that aspect in a later post. What I am trying to say in this post is the idea of preparing our minds and hearts for the question itself. If we truly want to follow God’s will, that means clearing the slate first, so to speak. We may be asking him to help us decide what is his will between A or B, when in fact, God is not even thinking of A or B–he is thinking of C. (Also, thanks for the book tip–I’ll have to check it out).
P–Thanks! I noticed that your link was broken to your blog. Now how will I know the “perspective of P” if I can’t see your blog?
April 24, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Karen,
Here’s the link again. I’m a bit of a newbie to this whole blogging world. Here’s to hoping it works this time…
April 26, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Hi P,
Thanks for the corrected link. I enjoyed reading through your blog posts. You have some interesting thoughts and reflections.
And, P, I am glad you chose not to go for the rock.
July 5, 2008 at 12:41 pm
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