Wouldn’t it be nice if we could have a map or guidebook to show us how to know God’s will for our lives? I certainly have felt this way, especially as a young adult in college. Fears haunted me that I may not have chosen the right major or career path – that I was not within God’s will for my life. My prayers were filled with questions. Did the Lord want me to continue in the major and minors I had chosen, or was there something else I had not considered? How about mission work? Wasn’t that the ultimate choice for believers?
I listened to lectures by professors about God’s will and read books in graduate school that talked about the use of the Urim and Thummim in Old Testament times to know the Lord’s desire. But I was still confused. Should I expect a certain verse to guide me to the job He wanted me to do, or would I receive some type of vision like in the stories of missionaries?
Countless other people, especially teens and young adults, share similar concerns. They desperately want to know God’s plan for their lives and fear drifting into disobedience by their choices. Questions about careers, marriage, and decisions for the future abound. Yet, there do not seem to be many satisfactory or easy answers. Pastors encourage us to pray and search Scripture for the Lord’s answer. Professors encourage us to make informed decisions based on our knowledge of the Bible. Still, many of us flounder in life, continually wondering about God’s will.
Maybe, though, we are confusing His will with specific directions in life. What if God’s will is about more than just our career paths or decisions for marriage? In our desire to have well-laid plans, we might just be missing a key component of understanding His plan – a relationship with Him.
The Will of God in Scripture
Scripture shows us that God has a will and plan that will be accomplished (see 2 Chronicles 20:6). What He declares will come to pass. However, there is also the aspect of God’s will that relates to what He desires for us, which can be resisted. For instance, we are told that it is God’s desire for all to be saved, but people can reject Him (2 Peter 3:9). All who place faith in Christ, though, will be saved according to God’s will (John 6:40). As John Piper notes in his message, “What Is the Will of God and How Do We Know It?,” there is both the sovereign will of God which is divinely planned and sometimes includes allowing bad things to happen, as well as His will for us to obey, called the will of command.
Regarding this will of command, we can discern what the Lord desires for us to do. We are given multiple commands in Scripture to guide us – such as spreading the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection, making disciples, giving from our resources to bless the poor and others, serving other believers, and making the most of our opportunities. We are called to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, NIV). To give thanks and rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
The main purpose of our lives could be summed up by Mark 12:30-31,“’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (NIV). All these commands are interwoven with God’s will for us to live in fellowship with Him and for His glory.
What and Whom We Were Created For
If we flip back to the beginning chapters of Genesis, we find a creative and loving God who infused His creation with meaning and purpose. He formed humans in His image and placed them in a garden (Genesis 1:27; 2:15). The Lord was not some distant deity, watching His created work from afar. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8). Humans, then, were created to live in obedience to the Creator but also to know Him personally. We were made for fellowship with the living God.
We should not assume, though, that the Lord created us because He needed companionship. He already had perfect fellowship within the Trinity. Even though He does not need us, because He is sufficient in Himself, He desires a relationship with us. The fellowship that the Lord had with Adam and Eve in the beginning was broken after the fall. Every human is separated from Him, unable to be reconciled by their own power or choices.
Thus, that is why the Father sent His Son into the world (John 3:16). Jesus came to save us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father. We had turned away from Him, but He did not leave us – Jesus’ nailed scarred hands and feet prove His love for us (Romans 5:8). Those who trust in Christ’s death and resurrection receive salvation and are reconciled to the Father (John 1:12; Romans 5:10). In Jesus, individuals who were once rebels are transformed into beloved children. We are restored to the relationship that we were made for, and one day, God will again walk with us on a New Earth (Revelation 21:3).
In addition to knowing the Lord, we were also created to glorify Him. Isaiah 43:7 tells us that we were made for the glory of God. Believers are called to glorify the Lord in all they do (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17). If we love and know God, then we will want to live in a way that brings glory to His name.
God’s Larger Will for Our Lives
Knowing why and for whom we were made sheds greater light on the purpose of our lives. Lots of us are looking for specific instructions, such as for God to tell us to be missionaries, pastors, teachers, writers, architects, or nurses. But when we consider the teaching of Scripture, we find that the focus is not on a specific calling. We find no verses instructing us about how to choose a career or whom to date.
Rather, God is calling us to Himself.
In my own experience, I spent numerous hours praying and studying in an attempt to discern the will of the Lord, especially in regard to college and career-related questions. I found that there was little in Scripture about finding an individual plan or map. Over the years, God has slowly reframed my mind and heart. I realized that His ultimate purpose for me and other believers was not necessarily in a specific title or role but in knowing the Lord and living for His glory.
The Relationship Between Discipleship and Doing God’s Will
Consider for a moment if we could receive a detailed manual about our lives. From an early age, we would be divinely presented with a manual about steps to take and paths to follow. As we meticulously follow the sentences and crinkle the pages from constant study, we find ourselves focusing more on the plan than on the Giver of the manual. Or we would shake our heads at the story we find and disregard the instructions, wanting to forge our own way. In either case, the focus is still on the plan – not on God.
If we are always grasping for knowledge about the years ahead or the exact steps we should take, then we miss the joy of walking with the Lord through these decisions. He has not chosen to reveal everything about our lives, nor does He promise to tell us exactly how to plan out our years. There is a complex interplay between God’s sovereignty and our free will, a combination that is challenging to fully comprehend.
In practical terms, though, God wants us to depend on Him. To say, “Father, I don’t know what lies ahead, but I trust You. Lead me in the way You want me to go even though I cannot see the path.” If we lean on Him, then He will direct our steps as a loving Friend (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Our desperation to ensure we are within God’s will and the worry over major life decisions like career choices would lessen if we would remember that the Lord’s desire is for us, not just one area of our lives, like our career or marital status. He made us for Himself, which means every part of our lives matters to Him.
The more we obey and submit to the Lord, investing in our relationship with Him, the more we will find that we desire to do His will and are doing it. As author and theologian C. S. Lewis wrote when referring to what Christ desires from His followers: “Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You … Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked–the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours” (Lewis quoted in Devotional Classics, edited by Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith, HarperCollins, 1993, p. 8). John Piper echoes this thought succinctly by saying, “We need new hearts and new minds.”
Knowing and doing God’s will is influenced by our discipleship. As we are transformed by our relationship with Him, our minds are renewed. Then, we “will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, NIV).
We have gotten ahead of ourselves by first asking about our futures and decisions. To best know and follow God’s will requires that we spend time with Him to renew our minds, submit to Him, and follow Him as a disciple.
Practical Steps for Moving Forward
Believers who are questioning their next steps in life should not direct all their focus on finding a specific field or role. Instead, they should devote themselves to investing in their relationship with the Lord. Go ahead and start doing what God has commanded in Scripture, such as making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) and giving thanks in every circumstance (1 Thessalonians 5:18). While doing this, lean into the Lord. Knowing, loving, and following Him is the ultimate will for our lives, and everything else will flow from this place of fellowship.
Regardless of the jobs or roles we will find ourselves in throughout life, the call to discipleship remains the same. If we are living in faithfulness to the Lord and obeying His Word, then we are living according to His good purpose. Decisions will still come our way. But with our eyes fixed on our Lord, we will make Him the priority – and that is His will.
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