A Will For His Will

I am lucky that there are very few things God has been silent about in my life. He led me to my college major and gave me the nod on my graduate program. He led me to my husband and gave us the nod on marriage within a few months of dating (even if we did wait three and a half years to tie the knot). He led my husband to his career at NASA and gave us the nod on DC instead of TX. He led me to every job I’ve held, and placed my first real job in my lap. Even when we went to adopt a dog, He made the one we actually came to see be in a bad mood and not want to see us, so we saw a sweet little Cocker Spaniel who had come in the night before, and she stole our hearts immediately.

A long time ago, I thought that discerning God’s Will was this impossible thing. I mean, how can we—mere humans—possibly understand what God wants for us in our lives? How do we know if it’s His Will that we take this job or that job, move to this city or that city, marry that person or that person? Why did He task us with making these sorts of decisions and just hoping that we get it right?

Thankfully, not too long after I became a Christian, a godly woman showed me a list of five handy questions for discerning God’s Will. I don’t remember the whole list or the order of the questions, but these are the questions I do remember:

• What does Scripture say about it?
• Have you prayed about it?
• How do you personally feel about it?
• Have you sought trustworthy counsel?

I’ll add to these questions a question I ask myself often, which is complementary to the first question: Does it glorify God?

Will you be able to glorify God in that job? Will you be able to glorify God in that city? Will you and that person glorify God in marriage? Will you be able to glorify God with that dog? (Okay, okay, maybe not the last one…but really, though!)

At first glance and at first thought, these questions make discerning God’s Will the simplest thing to do. And, well, it is a pretty simple thing to do.

But we’re humans, and we make things much more complicated than they need to be because our feelings get in the way. But it’s not discerning God’s Will that’s hard; it’s making a decision, especially when faced with several good options. (You can glorify God in any job and in any city, you know?) Ultimately, it’s up to us. He gave us free will to choose how to live our lives. He knows exactly what we’re going to choose, but it’s up to us to actually move. We have to have a will for His Will.

Another godly woman once told me, “You don’t have to be a missionary by trade to glorify God in your lifetime. Just love God, and do whatever you want.”

Love God, and do whatever you want.

Is God being silent about something right now? Are you waiting for Him to move? I am—I’ve been waiting for nearly a year to make some friends here in Maryland. I’ve been doing whatever I can, but I need to be patient. The ball is in God’s court here. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and wait.

But that thing in your life that God is being silent about—is the ball in your court? Is it your turn to move? What are you going to do about it?

Does your decision glorify God, or will it bring glory to God?

Yes?

Alright, then. Go for it.