Discovering God's Will

New Christians are taxed greatly about this matter. "I want to do God's will, but how do I know what it is?" They have yearned and prayed, worried and lamented, discussed and argued, about this solemn matter, and have got nowhere as a result. They are as confused as ever!

What we have to realise is that God has two wills: there is His sovereign will by which He orders everything that comes to pass for His own glory; and there is His moral will that He has revealed in the Scriptures, and summarised in the Ten Commandments.

But the young Christian will ask, "Is there an individual of God for my life?" A good question, and a sign that the believer is keen to do God's will in his life.

Now this provokes an important question: does God have an individual will for all His children? Is there such a thing as being "in the very centre of God's will" for my life? Can I know "God's perfect will for me?"

First, I want you to tell me where these phrases are found in the Bible. Answer: Nowhere. They are not biblical categories. This explain why it is so difficult to discover God's perfect will for your life - it does not exist!

Second, God's Word describes God as a Father, a Shepherd and a Guide for His people.

(a) As a Father, He surrounds us with everything we need in the days of spiritual infancy, and as we grow into maturity, He gives us increasing personal responsibility to make our own decisions that must be within His moral will/law. The more mature we become, the more spiritual freedom we enjoy in life. So we can make our decisions on the basis of God's moral will - as revealed in Scripture - allowing us to serve Him within that broad field.

(b) As a Shepherd, He tends and provides for us, and so long as we stay within the area He has given us, we can do very much as we please. He does not come to us and tell us what blade of grass we should eat, or how much water we should drink. So long as we stay within the boundaries He has set, we can do as we please.

(c) As a Guide, He directs our steps along life's way, more so in the early days of our Christian pilgrimage, but less so as we mature in our faith. The children of Israel were guided by "a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night." In the Christian era, after the initial stages of the establishment of the church, He again allowed His people certain freedoms to decide what they wanted to do, so long as it remained within His moral will/law.

So what is God's will for my life? To grow in holiness and godliness and in likeness to Jesus Christ. To live life so that men may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. Redeemed people are to be 'good' people. What college ought you to go to, and what career ought you to take up? Well, that's up to you, and will be in accordance with your interests and abilities. Where should you live, and in what way should you serve God? Again, you decide where to live, and as a Christian, you are already in the full-time service of the Lord. You are to "shine as lights" wherever you are, and to be "His witnesses ... to the ends of earth."

So discovering God's will is not the big problem that some make it out to be. God's will for you personally is that you might be holy in all you do, and where you do it is quite immaterial.