Over the years, I’ve participated in countless Bible studies with young women, and one of the most common questions I’ve heard is, “What is God’s will for my life?” We often ask this with other specific questions like, “Who should I marry? Which job should I take? Should I date this guy or that one?” Clearly, discovering God’s will for your life is an important topic.
It’s hard to say it, but this is also where I spent a lot of my time over the years – repeatedly asking these questions, anxiously trying to figure out what I “should” be doing, and trying to earn God’s approval by doing it. I ended up disappointed when others around me were moving forward while I was still waiting for God to show me what to do next. It’s like I was missing something.
So, how can you step into God’s will for your life if you don’t know what it is? How can you avoid getting stuck when you haven’t heard from God about His will for a situation? How do you answer the burning question, “What is God’s will for my life?”
Today, we will learn about two aspects of God’s will. As you will see, God’s will for our lives is not complicated or difficult to figure out. Digging into scripture will help us understand and confidently walk in God’s will for our lives.
Let’s get started.
God’s secret, hidden will.
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29
One aspect of God’s will is indeed mysterious and hidden. God’s “secret things” are unknowable to us, which explains why we can get stuck and confused trying to figure them out. In the verse above, the Hebrew word for “secret” can also be translated as “hide” or “conceal.” So, God has purposely hidden and concealed part of His will. No matter how hard we try, we will not find it out.
God has a grand design for mankind – an intricate tapestry of events that He is weaving together for His purpose. While we may understand the redemptive part and why Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins, there are many questions we will not have answered on this side of Heaven. We may not understand why we lost a loved one so early, why a job opportunity didn’t work out the way we hoped, or why doors of opportunity opened or closed.
While we don’t see the big picture the way God does, we can trust that God is sovereign. Nothing happens unless He allows it. Scripture says that God declared ahead of time what would happen, and nothing can keep His will from coming to pass. He will accomplish His purpose on the earth. (Isaiah 46:10) Whatever God desires, that He does. (Job 23:13)
“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:11
His grand plans are unfolding around us, and nothing will hinder His purpose. Yet, we will not fully understand everything God is doing.
As we saw in Deuteronomy, the secret things belong to Him, but those revealed things belong to us, which brings us to the next aspect of God’s will.
God’s revealed will, or the will of command.
Scripture reveals God’s will for our lives – that which God has specifically told us to do. His Word is the lamp that guides our feet and shows us how He desires us to live. Outlined for us in the pages of the Bible, His will for us is clear.
While we will not be held accountable for not knowing God’s secret will or His magnificent, intricate plans for mankind, we will be held responsible for obedience to the commands revealed in His Word.
Although the whole Bible contains God’s will for us, here are a few specific references to His will in scripture:
- God’s will is that you be saved through faith in Jesus (1 Timothy 2:3)
- God’s will is that we are spirit-filled, not drunk with wine (Ephesians 5:17)
- God’s will for you is sanctification and sexual purity (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
- God’s will is for you to be submissive to authorities (1 Peter 2:13-15)
- God’s will may be for you to suffer for doing good (1 Peter 3:17)
- God’s will is that you be thankful in all situations (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
It’s not that complicated, right? God’s not trying to trick us. He made His will clear to us so we could walk in it. However, we must choose whether we will obey or not. It’s not so much about asking, “What is God’s will for your life?” as it is about choosing to be obedient to what we already know to do.
While God’s secret, sovereign will is going to come to pass no matter what, it’s our choice whether we will submit to His revealed will of command. Our obedience or disobedience in this area does not affect God’s sovereign will, but it does affect our relationship with God.
In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” As we grow in our walk with God, it should become our desire to read the Word and do what pleases Him.
God’s will for your life in situations not addressed in scripture.
So, what do we do when we want to know God’s will for situations not mentioned in the Bible specifically? Like, “Who should I marry? Where should I live? Which school should I attend? Should I take this job or that one?”
For situations not mentioned scripture, we get to choose what to do. In the book of Romans, we discover that as we renew our minds with scripture, we learn what pleases God. We learn to exercise wisdom and discernment according to our understanding of scripture. Considering our circumstances, other believers’ input, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we make the best decision we can.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
We don’t have to fear stepping out of God’s will in areas we don’t know about. As long as we renew our minds with scripture and prayerfully exercise wisdom and discernment, God will help us get to where we need to go.
As we pray for God’s will to be done in our lives, we ask Him to help us trust Him with the secret will, obey His revealed will, and use wisdom in the areas we aren’t sure about.
God is faithful. He will finish the work He began in us.
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