Knowing God’s Will

Feature 1 – October 2020 — Grace & Truth Magazine

Knowing God’s Will

Does God Have A Plan For Me?
People differ in their views of God’s interest and intervention in human life. Some believe in fatalism, assuming that we are powerless to do anything other than what God has determined we will do. Others think we humans have free will and can do whatever we want. Both are extreme views. The Bible teaches that we have a limited free will, which means we can sin and oppose God’s will. Now, the question for us to consider is, “Does God have a plan for us – for me personally?

In Romans 12:2, Paul appealed to the believers to discern the will of God. To the brethren in Ephesus, the apostle wrote: “Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:16-17 ESV). He also prayed for the Colossian church to “be filled with the knowledge of His will” (Col. 1:9). Epaphras, too, prayed for his fellow Colossians, that they would “stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” (4:12).

Peter wrote about the will of God as a reason for which to live: “... So as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (1 Pet. 4:2). Hebrews indicates that we can be rewarded for doing the will of God (10:36), but we need the right attitude and mind (13:20-21). First John also speaks about the reward for doing the will of God (2:17).

What Is My Attitude Toward God’s Will?
How do you want the story of your life to be written? Do you seek to follow the narrative that is written by society? Sadly, such a story will leave you empty, with no meaning for your life. The good news is God has a story – a will – for you. It is up to you to act on it.

Some people assume God’s plan for them is hidden and impossible to find. Others do not really want to know God’s will because they are afraid of how it will affect them. A number of individuals like to do the parts of God’s will which fit their agenda, ignoring the rest of His will. The right attitude is to desire to know God’s will and to do it with submission and obedience.

Distinguishing Between “God’s Purpose” And “God’s Will”
God’s purposes and God’s will are perfect and good, for God is good (Eph. 1:9, 3:11; Rom. 8:28, 9:11, 12:2; 2 Tim. 1:9). When the Bible talks about God’s purposes, these are things God has determined to happen, which means they must happen (Isa. 14:26-27, 19:12; Jer. 4:28; Lam. 2:8). For example, God determined your biological parents and your gender.

God is sovereign. He can do whatever He wants (Isa. 14:24), and He chose to give a limited realm for humans to exercise their will. This makes your story partially determined by God and partially dependent on your actions. He wills for you to live holy, but He allows you to choose to follow or not follow His will. You can obey or disobey – one resulting in rewards, the other in discipline.

The Bible is full of examples illustrating the difference between God’s purpose and God’s will. One example is Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25–28). God’s purpose was “the older will serve the younger” (Rom. 9:12), and that was fulfilled. However, God’s will did not include Jacob’s lying to his father, for which Jacob reaped painful results. Jacob had to leave his home and never saw his mother again. In addition, his children lied to him later about his beloved son Joseph.

Another example is Jonah. God’s purpose for the people of Nineveh was to repent. God’s will was for Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh. Jonah’s disobedience was against God’s will, and he had to reap the results by spending three days in the belly of the fish. When Jonah obeyed God’s will and preached to the people of Nineveh, he was an instrument used by God to fulfill His purpose.

God’s Purpose God’s Will

God is the source God is the source

Man is not a factor Depends on man’s obedience

Cannot be changed; will be fulfilled Can be disregarded

Associated with spiritual issues Associated with all details of life

The Difference Between God’s “Universal Will” And “Specific Will”
Does God have the same desires for all of us? The answer is yes and no. God has a universal will for all of us, which is revealed in the Bible. For example, God’s universal will includes salvation (1 Tim. 2:3; 2 Pet. 3:9), our submission to Him (Rom. 12:1-2), obedience to parents (Eph. 6:1), sharing the faith (Mt. 28:19-20), sexual purity (1 Th. 4:3), and to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:17-18).

On the other hand, God has a specific will for each one of us. The Bible does not tell us all the details of whom we should marry or what job we should have, but it gives us a clear idea about His desires.

God does not give all the details at once. For example, when Paul met the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, the Lord gave him instructions to “rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” (Acts 9:6). At many points in our lives, the Lord gives us only the next step, without telling us the full path – similar to Abraham who left Ur without knowing his final destination.

It is important to note that God’s specific will for your life is consistent with His purposes and His universal will for all. For example, God would never desire for you to lie or commit some other sin. Yet, God does not force us to do His will. We honor Him and find great meaning in our lives if we do His will. However, we lose ourselves – or our lives – if we miss His will for us.

Conditions For Knowing God’s Will
God loves to speak to you, and the Spirit guides in your life journey. However, in many cases you may miss His voice because you are not in a right condition. To be able to hear the Lord’s voice, you need, as shown in Romans 12:1-2:

1. Complete surrender. Paul instructed the believers to present their bodies as a living sacrifice. Our actions, or execution of any of our will, are driven by our bodies. Hence, Paul exhorted the believers to completely surrender their actions to God. He sees this submission of our lives as a sacrifice. In this sense, our worship is not limited to an hour-long meeting, but worship is our life journey in which we fulfill God’s will.

2. To be not conformed to the world. The world system tries to push on us its own story. Through it we get corrupt meanings for success, love and even life. To be able to hear God’s voice, we need to avoid conformity to this world. As we get contaminated by worldly influences, we can cleanse ourselves by renewing our minds through prayer and the study of Scripture. This is a lifelong process that needs to be done as long as we live in this polluted world.

How To Hear God’s Voice
Getting God’s universal will for all of us is straightforward, for it is from the Bible. But you may ask, “How can I know God’s specific will in my life? How can I make the right decisions according to God’s will?” The starting point is the Bible. You need to be filled with the Word (Col. 3:16) so you can easily know God’s thoughts in the different issues of life. Also, Scripture can help test your thoughts and desires (Heb. 4:12).

Remember, you have the Holy Spirit in you (1 Cor. 6:19). God can talk to you through Him because He is leading you (Rom. 8:14). The Spirit can also guide you to find the answers to your questions in the Bible (Jn. 16:13). As the Spirit fills your thoughts with Scripture, you will be able to make the right decisions according to God’s will. However, be careful to avoid confusing your emotions with the voice of the Holy Spirit.

God can also use circumstances or others to communicate His will to you. In one incident we read that Paul was not allowed to visit certain cities to preach the gospel (Acts 16:7), and the Lord used a vision to redirect Paul and his companions to preach in Macedonia (vv.8-10). Another familiar example is the wedding of Isaac and Rebekah. In that story the servant prayed to God to show him the woman who was chosen by God for Isaac based on her reaction to the servant’s request for a drink (see Gen. 24).

God may also use counsel from other believers to relay His voice to us. When Paul became a Christian, the Lord used Ananias to tell Paul of God’s great plans for him: “The God of our fathers appointed you to know His will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from His mouth; for you will be a witness for Him to everyone of what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22:14-15). We have to be careful to seek advice only from spiritual and wise believers. The Word of God teaches, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Prov. 12:15).

Final Thoughts
Do not rush to know God’s full plan for your life. As we seek to live for Him, our light for life’s journey is small and increasing (Prov. 4:18). Remember, God’s will for your life will never contradict His nature or His Word. As you listen for God’s guidance, you might miss it and fail. This is part of the training process; practice is important (Heb. 5:14). God communicates through our minds, but do not rely on human intelligence (Prov. 3:5-6). Obey the little light that God may reveal to you. Act on it and avoid laziness (consider Acts 12:7-12).

Do not assume God’s will is confusing or not clear. The Bible says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). If your heart is in the right condition, the desires of your heart will be according to those of God’s heart.

By Shereen Ghobrial

The Godly Soul Is To:Trust in the LORD” (Ps. 37:3 KJV). The one who trusts will dwell in the land and be fed.Delight thyself also in the LORD” (v.4). Let the believer delight in the LORD, and he shall be satisfied. Commit thy way unto the LORD” (v.5). However rough it may be at the moment, the LORD will maintain the godly in the way, and make manifest the righteousness of the one who keeps in the way. Rest in the LORD” (v.7). Let the soul rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him. Resting in the LORD, the soul is preserved from anger and wrath. Wait upon the LORD” (v.9). Those who wait upon the LORD will inherit the land. Moreover it is not for long that patience will have to be exercised, it is but a little while and the wicked will pass away and the meek be established in blessing (vv.10-11).However right the walk and ways of the godly, let them ever remember that their salvation is of the LORD. He is the strength in trouble, help in time of need, and the deliverer from the wicked of all who trust in Him (vv.39-40).—Hamilton Smith, adapted from Psalms.