God's Will for Our Lives

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Monday, August 06, 2007 - Knowing God’s will for our Lives


One of the area’s where we Christians seem to be confused is how we can know God’s will for our lives. Let me share with you some of the reasons I believe we struggle with this. First we think God’s will is some kind of mystery. A heavenly game of hide and seek that God’s playing with us. But God doesn’t send us on a treasure hunt to find His will. He wants us to know it more than we want to know it.

Consider Romans 12:2, which says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” It doesn’t say, then you’ll be able to make a good guess and hope you found what God’s will is for you. No, its clear that we should be able to know the perfect and pleasing will of God. No mystery, no Easter egg hunt, no confusion.

And in Ephesians 5:17 we read, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Paul is saying that when we don’t know what God’s will is then we are being foolish or unwise. Its not God’s fault it is our own foolishness. And Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. And in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Again we are promised that God will show us His way, not maybe or hopefully or if you know how to read the road signs and decipher His hidden code. There are many unbiblical ideas about how you will know what God’s will is with your life. Some think it has to be a traumatic or emotional experience where you are moved in some mystical way.

A lot of people talk about putting out their fleeces based on Gideon’s experience found in Judges chapter 6. They set up a test for God. If this happens or that doesn’t happens then I’ll know God has shown me exactly what to do. But, if you have studied that story about Gideon, that when Gideon asked God to do a miracle with the fleece, it was because Gideon had not believed what God had already promised Him. It was because of his weak faith that Gideon had put out a fleece. Not because he didn’t know what God wanted him to do.

Knowing God’s will is not necessarily an emotional experience, a calling, a light that strikes you, or bush that burns. Oh, true sometimes God uses unusual ways to talk to us, but those are rare exceptions. Most of the time He reveals His will through His Word to those who are living in obedience and saturating their lives daily with His truth. And always His will for us will be in total agreement with the written will of God. Knowing God’s will is an inevitable result if you fulfill the prerequisites.