One of the most pressing questions people ask is, "What is God's will for my life?" I've asked that question myself! Instinctively we know that God created us for a purpose. But what is it? The Bible assures us that God has plans for our lives — but what are they and how do we discover them?
Should I be a doctor, a teacher, a missionary, a mechanic? Should I buy the new car or go for a used one? Sell the house? Get a new job? Go back to school for more training? Move? What church should I attend? Where should I send my kids to college? The list is endless.
We labor over decisions like these, afraid that our final choice may be contrary to God's plan for us. Ironically, people in the Bible didn't struggle over discovering God's will. They didn't agonize over seeking the will of God for their future. What the people of the Bible struggled with was doing God's will for today.
God's will has less to do with the future, and everything to do with the present. And knowing God's will for today is no secret, and has been clearly revealed.
When a crowd asked Jesus about the will of God, Jesus replied, "What God wants you to do is believe in the One He sent." (John 6:29 NLT)
It's that simple. God's will is for you and me to believe in Jesus!
The will of God is not something we need to struggle to discover: It's something we need to do. It's something we need to live. It's God's will that we live for Christ, believing and trusting in Him, putting Him first in our lives and in all we do. Forgiving others, loving people, serving and giving — all these are God's revealed will for each of us to live out each and every day, regardless of our choice of career, to marry, to go to college, etc.
God doesn't give us a blueprint for our lives that maps out our future. Instead, God says "I'll take care of your future — you just live for Me today!" If we give God each day — committing to doing His revealed will in the Bible (like forgiving others, sharing God's love, prayer, etc.) — God will orchestrate and take care of our future. The pressure and stress of always making the "right" choice and decision is gone. Our future is in God's hands!
That's the meaning of Romans 8:28 (NLT): "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."
If we fully yield to God's known will — living for Him, following and obeying what we know God wants us to do today in the present — God will prepare us for our future. If we focus on doing God's will for our lives today, we can rest assured that God will guide us into His will for all our tomorrows.
The Rev. William Thomas is pastor at Hereford United Methodist Church. He can be reached at pastor@herefordumc.org.
