Life is filled with so many decisions. For a follower of Jesus, we must also concern ourselves with the will of God. What He wants and intends for our lives. Discerning His will can seem daunting at times.
There are no Bible verses that tell you whether a person should go to college, enter the military, or begin in a vocational trade. I have never read a verse telling a person to be a plumber, mechanic, carpenter, or to work in retail. We face important life decisions about whom we marry, where we work, where we live and where we worship.
How does a person make these important decisions seeking to align their lives with the will of God? I offer some helpful hints to do just that.
First, we must pray and seek the heart and mind of God. Some decisions put before us could be potential distractions planted by the enemy to lead us astray. We ask God for clarity and to reveal His will. This does not always come quickly. Sometimes God delays the revelation of His will so we will seek Him all the more intently. In such cases, a person should refrain from making such decisions. God, through His Spirit is perfectly able to communicate His plans if we slow down long enough to listen. So often we trust through prayer laying out our requests and never listening to His will. Make a habit of listening.
Second, we must immerse ourselves in scripture. While the Bible may not always give us specifics about certain decisions, we can adhere to Bible principles. Two verses come to mind.
Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. [Ps 37:4] My pastor often counseled me that when we are prayerfully seeking God and immersing ourselves in His word, God will lead us by the desires of our heart. Put another way, God will give us the desire to do what He wills. Let me illustrate. Brenda and I met in college and started dating. My love for her grew to the point I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Both of us sought the will of God about marriage. She never imagined she would marry a pastor. She just wanted to marry someone who would serve Jesus with her. God put the desire for us to wed into our hearts through a mutual desire to spend the rest of our lives together. I never read a verse that read, "Marry Brenda." I felt she was the right person for me, which has proven over and over again in thirty years of marriage. As I delighted in the Lord, He gave me the exact woman on this planet I wanted to spend the rest of life loving and treasuring.
Another helpful verse is found in Proverbs. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. [Prov 3:5-6] We must trust that whatever God wills is best for us. That means getting to a place where our only will is to do His will. We must trust whatever way He leads. We do not place trust in our ability to mentally determine the best solution. We can be deceived by the enemy. If we wait on Him, seek His understanding, He will make the path of His choosing clear at some point.
Lastly, when you have prayed, read scripture and waited on Him, let peace be your guide. That peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Let me share from my personal experience.
Several years ago I began having dreams about a certain town. I traveled to that town and held a weekly Bible study. I had no idea what God had in mind. Most of the people who came to that Bible study all attended one church. In time, there pastor left. I started having dreams about that specific church. Dreams of preaching and ministering there. I had dozens of dreams. After many months, they contacted me to come preach for them and to interview for the pastor position. Excitedly Brenda and I prayed in the hotel the night before. I felt like the whole thing was just a matter of formality.
Sunday morning came and I got up early to pray more. I could hardly wait to get to the service. When we arrived, we were met with coldness from one of the couples who had attended the Bible study previously. This couple served in leadership positions. It was obvious they did not support our being there. Later on a lady came up to introduce herself to Brenda and I before the service. She hugged Brenda and offered to hug me. I stuck my hand out for a hand shake instead of a hug. That offended her. Turns out her and her daddy were on the search committee. That came up as a question in the interview after the service. I could not believe it. A point of disagreement arose during the interview. At which, the chairman of the committee emphatically stated the way things would be. The way he talked to me settled it. I had not had peace the entire morning.
I had no peace about that church. Sure enough they called to invite me to come in view of a call. Because of the lack of peace I had to turn them down. I could not make sense out of it at the time.
I contrast that with walking into Spring Creek Baptist Church to preach in view of a call a few years later. I felt total peace and like we were coming home. For those who don't know, we served here in youth ministry when we first got married. I have always treasured this church. We have been endeared to this flock for decades. To get come back here was and still is a dream come true. God's peace guided us back here.
I hope some of this will help as you discern God's will in your family. May He guide us by His peace.
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