Knowing the Will of God

There are countless decisions that have to be made in a lifetime. Some are small and seem rather inconsequential while others have greater impact. In the middle of all this there is the simple truth that God has a plan or a will for people’s lives. Some acknowledge this truth and spend their days seeking that will. Others could care less and go about life on their terms and reap what they sow [Gal 6:9].
I know there are some who may be reading this who are confused and distraught as you face major decisions in your life. You want the make the choice that honors God and that He wills for you to make. Choices like where to go to college, who to marry, what type of vocation to pursue, and where to live bombard your every waking thought. Each of these decisions are big choices and we must have the wisdom of God as we contemplate them.
What do you do when you are faced with such choices or ones like them and you honestly do not know what direction to go? Knowing the will of God on a matter can seem confusing especially if the answer is delayed. There have been times when I have sought the Lord’s will and waited for a year or longer before ever discovering His heart on the matter. If you are going to know the will of God you will first have to be patient. We often hate this part and in our impatience we make rash decisions that come back to haunt us. If you are feeling rushed and anxious about a decision I would ask you if you are in a hurry because there is a deadline for the decision or are you being impatient? If there is no deadline, I urge you to sit back and trust God to reveal His heart and mind on your decision in His time. [Ps25:4-5] [Ps 119:105] Wait on God!
The next thing we must do when seeking to know the will of God is to saturate our minds in the scriptures. You may read days and weeks on end and get no direction but if you persevere God will reveal His will in the scriptures. This happened to me many years ago when I felt a call to transition from the full time traveling ministry into the pastoral ministry. I struggled with this thought for over a year before the Lord revealed His will through reading the scriptures. In less than a week I got clear confirmation three different times about what He was leading me to do and where He was leading me to do it. George Muller once wrote about the use of scriptures when he needed to know the will of God. “I seek the will of Spirit of God through, or in connection with the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the scriptures and never contrary to them. Thus through prayer to God, study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly”
Muller says he used not only the Bible, but prayer and reflection to help know the will of God on a given matter. Muller founded orphanages in Bristol back in the 1800’s and funded them solely through prayer without ever asking anyone for help. He loved and cared for thousands upon thousands of orphans and needed to know the will of God repeatedly during his ministry. Did I mention that he read through the scriptures two hundred times in his life?
The last bit of counsel I would offer comes from [Rom 12:1-2.] To sum it all up I would simply say we must come to the point on a given matter that we are willing to be fully surrendered. What I mean is that come to a place where we are willing to do what God reveals. Maybe in our minds we are leaning one way and really want that direction to be God’s will. We must climb on the altar as we lay our lives before Him fully surrendered and willing go anywhere, to do anything, at anytime. That is being fully surrendered.
Recently I was facing an issue and in prayer I knelt at the altar in church and yielded to whatever God willed. As much as possible I cleared my mind of what I wanted and yielded myself to His will no matter what and then resolved myself to wait on Him before making a decision. I did not come away from that experience with an answer but I did rise from my knees with total peace that I wanted what God wants and I trust that what God wants is always best. To be surrendered we must be willing to let God sort the matter for us and not lean one way or the other. We must be content to go which ever way God leads.
Lord, there are many reading this who need to know your will. I am asking you to lead, to use your scriptures, to bring each one to a point of full surrender to whatever you deem is best, and then for you to give clarity of mind to let each one know what you want. I ask you to clear up confusion and to make your heart and mind crystal clear so we can all follow you with renewed confidence and commitment. In Jesus name, amen.