A few days ago, someone asked me the following questions:
- How do I decipher the will of God for my life?
- How do I know the will of God in terms of whom I should marry?
- How do I know where to live, which state or country?
- Where do I go to college?
- What opportunities should I pursue?
- Where does God fit in the day to day decisions of my life?
These questions had me thinking a lot. To be honest with you, I was caught off guard, as these are questions I often wondered about and have questioned myself to gauge whether or not I am on the right path. For as long as I have been a Christian you would think that I would have it all together, mind you, I am a PK and I grew up in the church, but the reality is, it’s not in the number of years you have been in the church, nor your rank, or associations or your clicks. The key is cultivating a relationship with God and wanting nothing more than to do His will. Once that has happened, you will find that the will of God is very pellucid, as clear as coconut water.
As I pondered, I felt a sense of loss not knowing what to say to this young woman. I wanted to share something compelling grounded in biblical evidence. Although I did my best to answer her questions, I can’t help but think how inadequate my responses were. It was unfortunate that I could not conceptualize a response in a timely manner with an effective delivery. As I thought about it some more, I began to reminisce about my life, the highs and the lows, from my greatest achievement to the lowest pitfall. From the heartbreaks, the disappointments, the mishaps, the misunderstandings, the misjudgments and the rejections. I realized through these heuristic experiences God was always there. I may not have invited Him into all of my affairs, but through it all I saw His invisible hand at work in and through my life, although unbeknownst to me at that time.
To understand the will of God is to know that the word of God is ineffable and is absolutely pure and unadulterated. The word of God is infallible, and it is of the highest authority. The word of God is not a fable, poetry, fallacies, myths, apocryphal, or whatever form of literature you want to classify it under. The word of God has not been rendered effete. It still holds power today, as stated in Isaiah 55:11- “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” The other thing you need to understand is that God will never ask you to do anything contrary to His word. When we want what we want, we often rationalize God’s word to make it fit our situations, but God’s standards remain infallible. Secondly, the bible is full of principles and precepts to emulate, such as:
- To love and acknowledge God- Deuteronomy 4:44-6:6; Mat 22:37; Mark 12:30-31
- What to eat-dietary laws in the books of Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14, and Acts 15:29,
- How to treat each other, “the golden rule”- Mathew 7:12,
- Expectation of a Godly mate- Ephesians 5:21-33,.
- How we should live with one another (in love) -1 Corinthians 13
If we follow these precepts we will be living the way God intended us to live and therefore would be in accordance with His will.
Understanding and doing the will of God involves having a blind faith, and believing God in the unknown. In Genesis chapter 12, God asked Abram to leave what he knew, his family, his land and his people. He was asked to just get up and leave without knowing where he was going, needless to say to plan for where he was going. When you analyze this scenario, it makes no sense whatsoever. No one just gets up and leaves without knowing and planning for where they are going, where they’re going to live and how they will survive. Abraham had tremendous faith to just blindly uproot his family, his livestocks, not knowing where he was going, what he would encounter, or what the future holds. God did not give him the blueprint. God told him to just get up and leave. No wonder in Hebrews chapter 11, he was credited as a hero of faith.
Psalms 37:23 states that our steps are ordered by God, but what does that really mean? It means that despite every mishap, every shoulda, coulda, every disappointment year after year, when every door slammed shut before you, every failed attempt and connection. The sickness, the divorce, the demotion, failed goals, stressful situations, mishaps, family illness and even death. God is Jehovah Shammah, the God who is ever present or always there. When you know who you have on your side, you can’t help but remain imperturbable when the storms of life rocks you to the core, because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God got you in His hand. You have to believe in El Shaddai, the most high God, the God that is not an effete, who is so old that he cannot act. As children of God, He guides us, just like David alluded in Psalms 23, He provides for us, He protects and leads us in the path we should follow. To know that God is sovereign, He has everything under control and that He is your heavenly father. You have nothing to fear. You may not know how it will happen and sometimes when it will happen, but to have the certitude that God is true to His words. Knowing that God cannot steer you wrong, all you can do is just trust Him. This faith can only be attained through a close relationship with God.
Application
Knowing and understanding the will of God for your life is to follow what is prescribed in the word of God. In addition, the Holy Spirit that lives within you gives you a gentle nudge, suggestions, and imprints. Sometimes you have this urge, or strong sentiment about something. Or when something bad is about to happen, you have a portend, a sign or a warning. Sometimes God speaks audibly, I know because I am a recipient of that honor. Sometimes it’s in the word or in visions or dreams, particularly when He wants to lead you in matters that pertain to you. If you are a child of God and desires to do His will, God has made His will known to you in his word the bible. He will make His will known to you in whom you should marry, His plans for your life, where you should live, etc. In Jeremiah 29:11 God said, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We are aware that God has these great plans for us, the problem lies in waiting for these plans to come to fruition. As mere humans, waiting is the hardest thing to do particularly when you have done all you can in your power and you are waiting for God to do his part. At times it gets lonely, because you are racing with time. When you gazed at others, or what is going on in your surroundings it gets discouraging. You wonder if God had forgotten the promises He made to you. What makes matters worse is that you don’t see any prospect of what God said coming to reality. When every opportunity has ended up in disappointments, you wonder, when will it happen for me. You soon realized that the situation you are in, only God can do something for you. You have no choice, but to have faith and to know that God is in control. You are a child of God and God has your best interest at heart. No matter how hard the road gets. No matter how discouraging it looks. No matter how humiliating it gets, your time to shine will come. You are a child of God and He will make a way for you somehow. God will remember you, just like He remembered Hanna, Sarai, and Joseph. Be encouraged my friend and take God at His words and do what God requires of you, which is your obedience. That is where the blessing lies. If you want to be blessed, follow the plan God has for your life.
-Addy Dajuste-
Some Christian people can be thinking about so many questions about their life choices if they pick the right or wrong path as a christian. This is relating to so many people that have been to church their whole life and their relationship with god.