Discerning God’s Will For Your Life

Have you ever wondered what God’s will is for your life? It seems to be a common question, usually regarding such issues as: Does God want me to remain single or get married? Does he want me to go to college or get a job?  What kind of career does he want me to pursue? Should I take this job offer or decline it? Should I go into some form of full-time ministry, or pursue ‘secular’ work? Should I marry this particular person? We all wrestle with such questions from time to time, especially in our young adult years.
 

If you are seeking to discern God’s guidance for such decisions, you are on the right track. But let me suggest that discerning the answer might not be as difficult as we often make it. In fact, it may be much more basic than we think. I’m not suggesting that God doesn’t at times give us specific guidance and direction to such questions. Through his providence in answer to prayer, I believe that he will provide personal direction to our lives. Yet more often than not, the answer to such personal questions for our lives is really found in the pages of the Bible rather than in some sign to discern in answer to prayer. For example, in 1 Thes 4.3, Paul says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” While the context of this verse has to do with sexual immorality, the statement itself applies to every area of our lives. Here is a universal principle to guide is in all of our decisions, even the very personal ones. Allow me to make two observations from this.
 

First, notice how this basically answers every question about God’s will for your life. God wants us to be sanctified, and that’s the main thing (that’s sanctified, by the way, not satisfied”). So whether we take a particular job, remain single or get married, marry a particular guy or girl, choose a particular career path, etc., there is a single underlying principle to guide us in each and every decision. That principle is this: How will it affect my spiritual walk with Christ? How will it help me become a more sanctified (holy) person? If we make that the criteria for choosing, we can never go wrong.
 

And that brings me to the second observation I wish to make about this passage. Paul begins the chapter by exhorting the Thessalonians to excel still more in the manner of pleasing God (vs.1). Thus, to know God’s will for your life is to know how to please God.  Yet I wonder if that is what people are really seeking when they want to know God’s will for their life. I wonder if it isn’t more about how God can please them, than about how they might please God. I have often heard people ask about God’s will for their lives, but I have seldom heard anyone ask, “How can I please God in my life?” If you are wondering what God’s will is in some particular decision you are making (marriage, job, a move, etc.), try rephrasing the question. Rather than asking, “What is God’s will for me,” ask “How can I please God?” I think that might make the answer a little easier. To know how to please God, we do not have to look for a sign in answer to prayer, or for providential direction as to which way to choose. By all means, keep praying and looking for answers to prayer! But if we are seeking to please God, rather than seeking for God to please us, then we may already have the answer.

© 2006 Randy Hohf