God’s Will for Your Life

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.—Romans 12:1-2

Sometimes God’s will for our lives is easy to discern. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not commit adultery. Do not surrender to sexual temptation. God’s word is a flashing neon sign that warns us to run in the opposite direction from sin. God gives us clear black-and-white directions (or black, white and red, if you read a red-letter Bible) in those cases.

But not every choice is easy to discern.

Do you take the job in town or the out-of-state one? Do you pursue this relationship or that one? Do you buy this house or the other one?

As I’ve shared before, sometimes God answers very specifically to very specific prayers—a fleece test of sorts. But sometimes we only hear silence when what we really want is marching orders. Then what?

I’ve realized, with age and experience, sometimes it’s not just us waiting on God. It’s God waiting on us. He’s waiting on us to move forward in faith with the desire of honoring Him in whatever course we follow.

Sometimes we can easily see what the best choice is. It’s the one that allows us to stay within unwavering moral parameters, honor family commitments, make responsible financial decisions and properly channel our skills and passions.

But sometimes the paths before us are not clear. Sometimes we aren’t sure how, or even if, to proceed.

In those times, we can remain stranded on the island of indecision while we wait impatiently for God’s message in a bottle to wash up at our feet.

But unless you have a clear word from the Lord to wait—a signal that can come from your daily Bible reading, from prayer or from circumstances—your best option is to move forward. Choose a path, and commit to honoring the Lord on it.

“Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.”—1 Samuel 2:30c

God will use that journey to train and equip you for further service. Your efforts will not be in vain. And though the path you take may not be the one on which you remain, it will result in critical steps forward toward your eventual goal.

Think of Joseph of Old Testament fame. His journey took him from a pit to a prison and eventually to prominence. (See Genesis 37-50.) Every step of the way, Joseph’s desire was to honor God. Because Joseph honored God, God honored Joseph.

God was the lifter of Joseph’s head. He built upon Joseph’s experiences to equip him for the history-changing role of ruling Egypt and preserving a remnant of God’s people – all because a man of unfaltering character passionately pursued a perfect God.

Here’s a primer on God’s will for your life: to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Whatever you do with sincerity and integrity toward that end will be within His will.

Maybe it’s time for you to take the next step—to take it in faith and with a commitment to faithfulness. You can rest assured your feet will be on solid ground as you walk within His will.