New Series: Finding God’s Will for Your Life

Where am I going to go to college?

Should I date _____________________?

What should I major in?

What kind of job should I pursue?

Should I pursue higher education?

Should I marry ___________________?

What city should we live in?

Where should we go to church?

How many kids should we have?

Should I work or stay at home with the kids?

Should we public school, private school, or homeschool the kids?

And lately, the most popular question: virtual school or in-person school?

These are the questions that keep so many of us tossing and turning at night and riddled with anxiety during the day. It causes some of us to research ALL the things, to ask advice from every trustworthy person we know, to pray hoping for a sign, to make endless pro/con lists, and even to, *ahem*, ask the Magic 8 Ball. (Yes, I’ve really done that. I was 10 if that makes you feel better.)

Sometime in my own childhood, I remember hearing the story of Gideon laying out the fleece and thinking that seemed like a pretty good idea. That is, until a pastor or teacher burst my bubble and said that laying out the fleece lacked faith. Okay, back to the drawing board, maybe I could cast lots. The disciples cast lots to decide who was going to take traitor Judas’ place. It’s IN THE BIBLE.

The question of how to find God’s will for my life plagued me in so many of the decisions I listed above. Because, as Christians, I think we generally really want to make the right decisions and not accidentally step outside of God’s will for our lives. We turn to the Bible looking for specific directions for who to marry only to be disappointed that God didn’t include a note saying, “Dave is the one.” (He was the one, in case you were wondering.)

After the craziness of the last six years of my own life and the myriad of decisions we’ve had to make with international moves, my husband and I have come to a conclusion: God’s will isn’t mysterious. It’s not hidden. He is not playing hard-to-get. In fact, His will is right in front of us. He has given us immense freedom to choose. There are obvious boundaries in place to keep us safe; His commandments are not burdensome. Walking in sin isn’t an option, and unfaithfulness to Him or to His Word are not on the table. However, what I’m coming to understand is that while He does indeed show us our steps through His Word and through godly counsel, He also guides us by our circumstances, through the wisdom He grants us, through the provision He gives, and even through the desires of our hearts. But there’s not a one-size-fits-all formula.

But there is one common denominator in all of the ways He guides us–He is good. Knowing God’s heart is the first key to His will, and His heart is revealed in His Son, Jesus, and in His Word. And that is where we’ll begin the journey next Tuesday, October 5th. I look forward to you joining me weekly, and to make sure you don’t miss a post, be sure to subscribe with your e-mail address HERE to get them delivered directly to your inbox.