Knowing God’s Will

Some people talk about discovering God’s will like it’s a game of hot or cold. Nearly every kid loves this game when they’re young. God doesn’t take your future and try hiding it from you like it’s a game… whispering “hot” and “cold” depending on the good or bad decisions you make in life. 

Neither is God’s will a treasure hunt like National Treasure, where he leaves you a cryptic mystery code embedded in the Bible so the wisest can discover the keys to the good life and the rest of us are left in the dust. 

I mean, how often have you heard someone say, “God told me” to do something, only for it not to work out the way they thought, and then they humbly admit they must not have heard God correctly. That can leave the rest of us feeling weary and fearful, because we don’t want to suffer the same embarrassment. 

Here’s how you can know God’s will in three easy steps.

Step One: Let the Bible Make You Wise

No one wants to be a fool. All you need to do to be a fool is to follow your heart. If you want to be wise, then let the Bible make you wise. So many of the messages you hear during graduation season tell you to follow your heart and to chase your dreams. But the reality is, no one is better at lying to me than I am… and the same is true with you! 

God is not hiding his will... He's given us the Holy Spirit and we call the Bible the “Word of God” for a reason. 1 Timothy 3:15-16 says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

The Bible is here for you to be fully equipped, not to confuse you. If you want to know God's will, you need to start with what he's made available for everyone. 

If you could sign up for a service that provided you with a daily message from God, I think most of us would jump on that! The reformer Martin Luther said, “If anyone wants to hear from God, let him read the Holy Scriptures.” 

Even further, the Bible describes Jesus as the “Word become flesh” (John 1:14). By faith, we receive the Holy Spirit and God gives us a new heart with a new desire to grow in Christlikeness. And God begins to change us bit by bit, day by day. He grows us in wisdom - not because we’re so smart, but because he’s given us his Son, Jesus Christ, and his own Holy Spirit. 

If you want to be wise – submit yourself to God’s Word.

Step Two: Make the Wisest Decision You Can

Proverbs 3:5-6 famously says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.” There are moments in life when we know we have to choose between what we want to do and what we believe God wants us to do. 

Personally, I’m convinced those moments matter most in the small decisions rather than the big ones… because making small decisions that rely on the Lord show us that we really can trust him with the big decisions, and so we’ll make the big decisions better and with more confidence. 

Think about it: if you’ve never trusted God with small decisions, and you’ve never seen God’s trustworthiness with your own eyeballs, what do you think you’ll do when there’s a big decision to make? It’ll be really hard to trust God for the first time with a big decision. Trust God with the small decisions now, so it’ll be easier (not easy… but easier) to make wiser big decisions down the road.

If we wait for the big decisions to start trusting God, then we’re probably going to rely on our own understanding. I believe God is so sovereign that our responsibility and his will work hand in hand. Submit yourself to the Word of God and make the wisest decisions you can. 

Step Three: Trust God with the Outcome

Romans 8:28 tells us, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Just imagine if “all things” actually means ALL THINGS?! The good decisions: those are covered. The bad decisions: those are covered too! 

If you make a bad decision, trust that God is powerful enough to use it for good. If you really really mess up, then really really trust that He really really will turn it to good. 

So if you want to know God’s will, do your best to let the Bible make you wise, make the wisest decision you can, and trust God with the outcome. 

You won’t always make the wise decision. Sometimes you’ll make really stupid choices instead. And in those moments, I want you to remember the gospel. God calls the foolish to himself, and he gives them a new heart. So even in those times when you make the wrong call, remember the faithfulness of God never runs out. 

You don’t need to second-guess everything. Seek wisdom, and make the wisest decision you can in the moment, and enjoy the freedom of knowing that you aren’t strong enough to veto God’s sovereign purposes. 

note: this article is edited from a message I gave for this year’s graduates at our annual Honor the Grad Night