To Know God’s Will

This is a sequel to “Why Do the Wicked Prosper?” If I was correct in my conclusion that material prosperity is not a sign of God’s approval or blessing, what measure can we use to ascertain God’s will? If we look at the record of Scripture, we cannot use pleasant circumstances as a clue. Daniel was apparently in God’s good graces when he was tossed into the lion’s den. Same for his three friends and the fiery furnace. Joseph spent several years in prison before being elevated to a position where he could save his family. Paul’s desire to preach the gospel in Rome was facilitated by an arrest and prison time. The record is clear; God sometimes uses unhappy times to accomplish His sovereign will.

Many Christians take comfort in the promise of Romans 8:27-28. As I have said before, the promise is often misunderstood. My translation of verse 28 reads like this: For we know that for those who love God and are being called to accomplish His purpose, all things work together for good. I put this unique twist on it because of the context. In verse 27, the Holy Spirit is said to intercede for believers “according to God.” Most translations add “the will of” God. The “will of” is drawn from the concept of God’s purpose, His will, found in verse 28. In other words, God’s will is the ultimate good toward which all things are working together. Daniel and Joseph and Paul went through some serious “not good” before the good purpose of God was realized. And yet, they were fully within the will of God.

So, if we cannot use material prosperity or pleasant circumstances to gauge whether we are within God’s will, what can we use? Are we doomed to wonder, perhaps until the next life whether we are pleasing God? I don’t believe so. Romans 12:2 assures us that we, “may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” In that context, Paul recommended a renewed mind and resistance to the world’s pressure as the path to knowing God’s will. This is the first and most reliable key. Revealed truth found primarily in the Scripture is the source of the renewed mind. Once we begin to think God’s thoughts after Him (as much as humanly possible), we can know His will.

Even an elementary knowledge of Scripture reveals much of God’s will for His people. We don’t have to wonder whether it’s okay to sleep with the neighbor’s wife, or if it’s okay to rob a bank to pay bills. (Exodus 20:14-15) We know that if we fail to care for those in need, we have violated the core command of God’s law. (Luke 10:30-37) We know that if we allow our anger to burst out in derisive or slanderous speech, we have invalidated our Christian faith. (James 1:26) We know that if we have vengeful thoughts or take action against those who we believe have wronged us, we are outside of God’s will. (Romans 12:19-20) In fact, we know that if we are insulted or persecuted, we are among the blessed of God. (Matthew 5:11-12)

I could go on, but I have made my point. There are hundreds if not thousands of direct expressions of God’s will for our lives. It is our duty to renew our minds with these clear commands before we set off wondering what God’s will is. It is also our responsibility to take these rules of conduct to heart and adjust our behavior accordingly. The Scripture warns that to know what is right and to not do it is sin. (James 4:17)

God has provided another source to help us know what He wants of us: our fellow believers. If a brother or sister discovers we have stepped out of God’s will, they are bound to steer us back to the path with a gentle spirit. (Galatians 6:1-2) If the wrong has been done against us, we must follow the pattern laid out by Jesus: first go to the one who wronged us and tell them we were hurt; then, if that is not well-accepted, take another mature believer with you, and try again. Then, if there is still no recognition or repentance, the whole church must be made aware. (Matthew 18:15-20) This kind of church discipline is rare today in our hypersensitive, politically correct society, but it is as much God’s will as any other command. We may never know how many wandering sheep may have been brought back into the fold if their fellow-believers had just followed this instruction.

What if there is no clear biblical precedent to follow? What if there are no mature believers willing to step in to help? In those cases, we make inferences from the what the Word of God teaches, and we do our best to apply them. Obviously, this is not foolproof. We may misapply Scripture. We may be ignorant of a principle that would be helpful. Our most reliable course of action is to first do nothing – nothing except pray. God has promised wisdom to those who ask. (James 1:5-8) If we step out to act without first waiting for God to speak, we have become the fool – the one who lives as if God doesn’t exist.

If after praying for guidance, we still don’t have a clear answer, it may be helpful to thoughtfully consider a potential course of action. After thinking about what to do, if there is no sense of resistance or correction in the spirit, it may be time to take the first step toward action. It has often been said that God will open and close doors as a way to guide His children. This is not ironclad either because the enemy is also able to manipulate worldly affairs to his advantage. This is when a keen sense of God’s Spirit within us is essential. We know that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17) In the context of that verse, Paul was talking about the veil being lifted so that we can see the truth. We need that unveiled view to know whether we are free to proceed.

If we decide to move one step at a time into our proposed course of action, the freedom of the Spirit should allow us to have the peace we are promised. Paul told the Philippians that if they made their request made known to God, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) I believe the Spirit-given peace will be made available even as we begin to consider what to do. If we set our minds to do something that would be contrary to God’s design, His Spirit will make us uncomfortable – remove the peace. When that happens, we must backtrack; wait again; pray again.

There have been too many times in my life when I have stepped out of God’s will because I didn’t bother to seek it. Often those incidents involved the purchase of a car or motorcycle. I have also said things in the heat of the moment that I soon wished I could retract. Lately, my problems have come from knowing what to say or not to say in a public forum (eg. Facebook) or in private conversation about a controversial issue. I’m getting better, but I still have a ways to go. I use the “peace test” to weigh my responses when I remember to do it, and it has served me well. I have also ignored it at times and paid the emotional penalty.

We can’t always know God’s will perfectly. Sometimes there is no Scripture, no mature friend, no inner witness. Even then, we do know that God has our back as the saying goes. He can take our worst failures and turn them into something that ultimately accomplishes His will. The Bible tells us to rejoice in trials because they make us better. (James 1:2-4) That is comforting, but it is not a license to screw up so we can learn. There are less painful ways to be educated than the school of hard knocks.