Theology Thursday: What's God's will for my life?

Welcome to Theology Thursday! Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him. I hope these newsletters help enhance your faith and deepen your love for God and his people, the church.

Today's question:
What's God's will for my life?

Pastor Brady's thoughts:
Twice in the last couple weeks - and several more times in the past year and a half or so - I’ve been asked by members of our church questions that have essentially amounted to “What’s God’s will for my life?”

I think this is probably normal. Those of us who believe in God and have faith in his plan and purpose for our world and our lives are naturally drawn to think to ourselves, Ok…so what should I do? 

This pops up especially when it comes to the big decisions in life. What should I do after high school? Should I date this person? Should I marry this person? Should I pursue this career or that one? Should I switch careers? Where should I live? What church should I commit to? 

It’s natural for Christians to want to know if the decisions they make are lined up with what God would tell them to do if he spoke out loud to them about their specific situation. But usually, at least, that’s not how God chooses to work. He’s given us his Word and his Spirit to guide us, and our job is to take the wisdom and principles he has communicated to us and apply them to our lives. Rather than praying or hoping for a “sign from heaven,” discerning God’s will isn’t about finding a job or a spouse that’s stamped with divine approval, it’s about understanding who God is and who we are in him.

In an article titled The Two Missed Truths about God’s Will on his Church and Culture Blog, pastor James Emery White explains that the way many Christians pursue God’s will is mistakenly narrow. We often treat God’s guidance like a GPS: Turn left now. No—turn right. Wait for the bright neon arrow. But God rarely works like a cosmic Google Maps voice alert. Instead, He has already given us a moral compass - the Bible - that points us toward truth, holiness, and faithful living.

Here are the two truths White says most of us miss:

First, God’s will for your life is mostly moral.
God’s will isn’t first a checklist of specific life choices but a moral direction grounded in scripture. We’re to love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40), flee sin, pursue righteousness, and live out the character of Christ. The Bible doesn’t leave us in gray zones on most matters of right and wrong. In many decisions we agonize over, the moral compass God has given has already spoken.

Second, there is great freedom within God’s will. 
Once we align with his moral will we are not forced into one narrow path. If our choices are legal, ethical, and don’t contradict specific things God has asked of us, we can be following “God’s will” with any number of things we do. There isn’t one perfect plan God wrote down for each of us individually that we need to decode. Instead, God gives us freedom to choose within the bounds of his moral design. Just as Adam and Eve could eat from many trees (just not THAT one), we have choice within God’s will without being outside it.

This means God’s will is not first about rare, specific directives but about faithful, obedient character. His will is revealed through his Word, and we’re free to make wise, God-honoring choices within it.

At the same time, in an article named God’s Will…Period, church planter Josh Howard invites us to go deeper - not simply to know God’s will, but to desire it. Howard points to the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” When we pray this, we aren’t asking God to bless our vision for life; we are asking God to form our desires around his vision for life.

Howard suggests that the common way we pray - “God, what is your will for MY life?” - may still be self-centered. Even though it begins with God, it’s really about me. What if we instead prayed, “God, what is your will? Period.” That prayer shifts our focus from seeking personal direction to seeking alignment with God’s heart, God’s mission, and God’s kingdom.

So what does all this mean for us today? Four quick things:

1. God’s will is first moral, not mystical.
 Before you wait for a sign or spend sleepless nights asking “Which road should I take?”, ask “Am I living within the moral will God has already revealed?” Are you loving God and others? Are you honoring scripture? Are you growing in righteousness? God’s will is revealed through his Word, and his Spirit helps us apply it.

2. You are free to choose within God’s moral will.
God doesn’t constrain you to one narrow option in areas like job choices, spouses, or where you live. As long as your choices don’t contradict biblical truth, you can trust God to work through your decisions—and sometimes in spite of your decisions. Christian freedom means you can make wise, prayerful choices knowing God is faithful.

3. The question is not What do you want me to DO? but Who do you want me to BE?
God cares deeply about our character. He wants us to become more like Christ. That transformation - rooted in obedience, humility, love, and surrender - is the heart of God’s will.

4. Pray that God’s will becomes your will.
Instead of asking, “God, what do you want me to do?” ask, “God, form in me a heart that wants what you want.” Pray for God’s kingdom to come through you, and for his will to be done in your life - whether that leads you to obvious choices or silent daily faithfulness.

God’s will is not a hidden, mysterious puzzle to be solved. It is the revealed witness of a loving Father who calls you to walk with him by following his explicit instruction, then making free choices on matters that are not explicitly stated but accords with the implied principles from what is, then surrendering your desires that his will becomes your will. This is the heart of the Christian life.

God’s will for your life is to know him and make him know - that’s why it’s our mission statement at MCC. As long as you are faithful and obedient, you don’t have to wonder what God’s will is for your life - you’re already living it.  

And when it does come to specific decisions, maybe this question can be a helpful guide: Which option enables me to better serve the Lord? If that's your starting point, it's hard to go wrong.

As Jesus prayed the night before his death, “...not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN!
- Pastor Brady

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to office@minierchristian.org and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.