Discerning God’s Will In Your Life

Doing God’s will is one of those topics often discussed but rarely understood.  What does it mean to do His will?  How can we figure out His will?

Many great writers (exponentially greater than me) have taken on this topic.  Answers have ranged from “as long as you are living a good Christian life according to the commandments and the golden rule, then any decisions you make will fall within what He wants for you” to “God has a specific purpose for your life and He will let you in on it if you will only ask and listen.”

Personally, I don’t think too highly of the each life has one specific purpose theory.  God makes good come of everything if we work with Him and I doubt Infinite Creativity would confine us with one “ideal” way.  While that’s not to say God doesn’t have an overarching plan for us, God is more about the present than the future.  And while certainly it’s helpful to know what He wants for us when making huge, life-changing decisions (should I move and take that job?  Where should we send our kids to school? Etc.), I think following His will is more about all the little decisions we make.

Sure it’s not glamorous.  But it’s doable (and generally simple) to actually discern God’s will in the small issues.  Should I get up early and drive my friend to the mechanic?  Should I force a smile even though being polite is the last thing in the world I feel like doing right now?  Should I pray or go to sleep?  Much simpler questions to answer than, “what does God want me to do with my life?”

Thinking about God’s will in smaller issues is practical because it’s manageable.  Decisions can be made quickly and hindsight isn’t required to know if it was the best decision.  So the next time you’re wondering what God’s will is for your life, look at the decisions you have to make in that particular moment.  It requires more obedience and discipline to follow His will in the million small decisions we make all the time, but it’s that much more rewarding because of it.   How lucky we are to have a God that doesn’t demand more of us than we can give, and on top of that, gives us all the grace we need to do so!

See also: Doing Small Things With Great Love



Other Links to this Post

1. Letting God into Every Part of Our Lives — March 8, 2010 @ 4:05 pm