On this journey called life, one of the most common questions we all ask is: “Is this God’s will?” I know I have asked this countless times. God’s will and plan for us can sometimes seem as unclear and vague as the supposed animal that my kid sees in the clouds.
The good news is that God does not want us to be so confused or left in the dark about his will. The bad news, however, is that he rarely reveals his will to us as clearly as we would like. This leaves us often asking childlike questions like we are kids in the back seat: Are we there yet? Where are we going? How long will it take to get there? Are you listening to me? Can we stop here?
This question of God’s will reminds me of the children of Israel in Exodus when they were wandering through the desert. In order to make his path known to them, we read in Exodus 13:21-22 that:
“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”
That sounds great, doesn’t it? The fact that God would give his people a direction was so obvious in the form of a cloud during the day and a fire at night. And while that was helpful initially for the Israelites, we need to recognize the inherent difficulties with that plan. For example, there would have been times when there was more than one cloud in the sky or one fire visible at night - so they (or at least their leaders) had to stay vigilant and keep their eyes glued on the right marker. Another even greater difficulty with that plan for the Israelites was that just because they could see which way to go did not mean the way was easy! God’s plan for them involved a long, dangerous, sandy journey that often left them hungry, thirsty, and scared. Not only that, but it led them straight through the Red Sea - which would have seemed impossible!
Thankfully, though, wherever God leads us, he always makes a way.
So, when we read Jesus's words in Matthew 6:33 about seeking him and his righteousness first in our lives, we can be certain that no matter how difficult our journey may be, we can always trust that God will get us to where he wants us to go.
But as we consider the many stories throughout Scripture of God’s people trying to find out and follow his will, here are four questions that will help us determine what direction God wants us to take.
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1. Are We Seeking What God Wants or What We Want?
We are faced with little decisions every day and big decisions periodically that either align us with God’s desires or our own desires. The Apostle Paul wrote that even what we “eat or drink or whatever we do” has the potential to be done “for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). So when we need to make a decision, whether we think it is important or not, we must look into our hearts and determine who’s the kingdom we are trying to build: God’s or our own.
How do we know what God wants? We find out by reading Scripture. In case you were wondering, it is helpful for us to search the Scriptures for a specific answer to a specific question at the moment, as well as for us to have a regular diet of reading through the Bible a little every day. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through both methods.
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2. Will This Direction Bring Us Closer to God or Carry Us Father Away?
Every decision we make and direction we take in life will either lead us closer to God and his righteousness or lead us away from him. Our lives are like boats floating in a river. It is not possible to stay still. Even when life’s water seems calm, we drift in some direction. That is why regular repentance is so important in a believer's life- whenever we discover that we are drifting in the wrong direction (or sometimes we are full speed in the wrong direction), we can confess, repent, and change course.
When faced with a decision in life, we must think ahead and look down the path to see where it will take us. This is part of the “counting the cost” that Jesus teaches in Luke 14. Thankfully, we are given many examples throughout Scripture, especially the Old Testament, about what happens when we choose to follow God rather than something or someone else.
“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
But don’t begin until you count the cost. Who would begin building construction without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own." - Luke 14: 26-33
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3. Is This Decision Wise or Foolish?
The Bible gives us so much wise counsel. As the Baptist Faith and Message (the statements of Belief for the Southern Baptist Convention) describes it, the Bible is a “perfect treasure of divine instruction.” God gave us books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, James, the Gospels, and the letters from Paul that contain wise statements, clear instructions, and helpful parables that will set our life up for success in every area, from relationships and family to finances and business. But the main problem that most people have with that is that (to be honest) they do not know the Bible well enough to glean all that wisdom and apply it now.
And while we can certainly continue studying and learning on our own, God graciously gives us Christian friends, leaders, teachers, and mentors to help teach us what Scripture says in areas we have not yet studied or about topics we are not thinking about correctly. So before we ever make a big decision, we need to seek the wisdom of God through prayer and Bible reading, as well as by asking our mature Christian friends and church leaders. I have found that God often speaks to me and gives me the wisdom I need, but I never get on my own through a phone call or meeting over coffee with a Christian brother.
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4. Is God Opening This Door, or Am I Pushing it Open?
This might be the hardest question because it requires self-reflection, self-awareness, and honesty. There are times when God lays out a path for us to walk on, and there are other times we(in our impatience, greed, or pride) lay out our path. But as Solomon found out, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" (Proverbs 14:12, ESV). We must be careful to pay attention to who is in the driver's seat of our life: God or us.
I have been told by several pastors in my life that “it doesn’t hurt to look” at the options that God seems to have set before us and “you won’t know until you go.” I think there is some truth to those statements. It reminds me of the faithful spies Joshua and Caleb, who went and looked at the "Promised Land" before they crossed into it, or Nehemiah, who did some research and reconnaissance before approaching his king about going back to his homeland.
However, just because we could do something doesn't mean we should. We have to walk in prayer so that the Holy Spirit can convict us when we are trying to push open our door and confirm us when walking through the one that God has opened for us.
Living the Christian life is not easy. Jesus said it is more like a "narrow road" that "few people" can walk. But as we walk on that narrow road, our True Sheperd will never lead us astray. We have to keep our eyes on him!
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Originally published Monday, 26 August 2024.