How To Do God's Will

We all want to know God’s will, and to varying degrees, we tend to be rather committed to do His will. We long to know God’s will for multitudes of choices and opportunities strewn before us. Each one of us faces “major decisions” about which we seek God’s direction, His blessing, or at least His permission.

Should we take that job opportunity? Or move across the country? Where should we to go to college? Should we buy that house? What do we need to know about dating and marriage? Should we have more children? Could God be calling me to full-time ministry or foreign missions? The list goes on and on.

Ray Pritchard gave me some new perspective on how to know and do God’s will. He wrote:

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have lunch with Jesus? Suppose the Lord Himself granted you 45 minutes in which you and He could have lunch together, and you could ask any question you wanted. Surely, somewhere along the way, you would say something like this. "Lord Jesus, am I doing what You want me to do? Because if I'm not, or if there is something else You want me to do, please let me know."

… That sort of face-to-face exchange will have to wait until we are in heaven. Between now and then, we will make thousands of personal choices, some big, some small, some trivial, some truly life-changing, and we will do it hoping, trusting, and praying we are doing God's will.

How then can we make decisions that align with God’s best for our lives? Well, I found some thrilling counsel from a personal paragraph penned by the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:22-29. Admittedly, I tend to rush on through these verses, but this week I lingered … and I learned.

²² That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you. ²³ But now I no longer have any work to do in these provinces, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you ²⁴ whenever I travel to Spain. For I do hope to see you when I pass through, and to be sent on my way there by you, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. ²⁵ Now, however, I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints; ²⁶ for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution to the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. ²⁷ Yes, they were pleased, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to Jews in material needs. ²⁸ So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will go by way of you to Spain. ²⁹ But I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

Here are several steps Paul took to live life in the center of God’s pleasure:

1. Seek first God's kingdom in your life and in the world. When Paul says, “That is why,” he refers to the previous paragraph (15:14-21) in which he declares his “aim to evangelize where Christ had not been named” (v 20). “That is why” Paul says he was “prevented” or “hindered” from his desire to come to Rome. We tend to think of hindrances as being from the enemy. Notice here that Paul was hindered by God and by his own commitment to “seek first God’s kingdom.”

2. Make the best plans that you can. Paul stated his plans – well-conceived and thorough plans to come to Rome on the way to Spain, but only after he first went from Corinth back to Jerusalem.

3. Humbly submit your plans to Father, saying, "Your will be done." Paul did in fact go to Jerusalem – in his own power according to his plan. He was arrested in Jerusalem, however, and came to Rome as a prisoner, where he would eventually be executed. Undoubtedly, this was not Paul’s plan, but he had learned early on to leave the outcome in the Lord’s hands.

4. Trust God to know what He is doing. Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-29. Then read Philippians 4:4-13. Paul knew that even were he to come to Rome in chains, it would still be “in the fulness of the blessing of Christ” (Romans 15:29). Paul’s choices prove a kingdom-centered worldview I want to learn to emulate. We need to become so heavenly-minded that we may become of great earthly good!

To the ends of the earth until the end of time!

Pastor Rob