Posts Tagged ‘God’s will’

Seeking God’s Will

Mark Dever has written an excellent little piece on pursuing the will of God in everyday life and decisions. Dever is concerned that too many Christians are bound by the chains of “finding God’s will.” This phrase is often used in regard to vocation or big life decisions. I sat in several classes and discussions during my undergrad days listening to classmates stress and labor on every little decision in the hopes of finding the will of God. I will say that the desire to please God and serve Him in every area of life is the type of attitude we should carry as Christians. However, as Dever points out, far too many Christians get completely stressed out and bound by thinking that they need some sort of sign for every decision they make.

First off, what does this sign look like? It can be so subjective that no one can question it even if it sounds absurd. I’m not trying to limit the Lord here because he sometimes uses subjective means to speak to us. But it is hard to trust subjective “signs.” Second, what does it mean to “find” the will of God? Was it hiding? Did I misplace it? Did it fall between the cracks in the couch? Finally, what do we truly mean when we are searching for the will of God? It seems to me that Scripture has clearly laid out the will and desire of God. He desires that all should come to know Him. The will of God entails repenting, believing, and living for Him in every area of our lives. Are we free to make decisions without playing craps to find the answer? Indeed. God has given us a mind and when we consecrate it to the Lord, He renews and reforms it. The “free” choices that we make are then based on the new heart and new mind that God has given to us through faith in Christ. They are also based on the words of Scripture. In short, we are free to choose as long as our choices do not contradict Scripture.

Bruce Waltke wrote a book called Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? that firmly addresses this issue. Run out and pick it up. It is a must read. Make sure to read Dever’s article as well. And rest assured that choosing to eat that turkey sandwich instead of a Big Mac is ok.

A Longing for Consistency

The world around us seems to be in a state of constant flux. Popular trends are constantly changing and evolving. Cultural norms are being stretched, reimagined, and remade. The newest technology seems to be rendered obsolete the minute it leaves the store. The world we live in today breeds an environment and attitude of change. There is no doubt that my generation understands this concept as well as anyone. So many of my friends and people I know around my age are constantly changing jobs, churches, and locations. Heck, I attended four different colleges before I graduated so I am not exempt from change. A common theme amongst us all is the desire to know “where we should be” and how to serve the Lord (in most cases vocationally). Behind the search for God’s will is a desire for some semblance of consistency.

 Consistency seems to elude many of us. They say that if you do something for 21 days straight, it will develop into a habit. I can’t seem to do anything consistently for more than 3 days. And when Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to “be joyful always, pray continually,” I realize I am quite far from that type of person. So what keeps us from being people of continual prayer or men and women who constantly seek out God’s Word? I think part of the problem is the mentality we have regarding prayer, bible study, and other spiritual disciplines. We see them as a waste of time because they are not tangible or don’t yield tangible results. No, many of us would not say that in words. However, our lifestyles would say it for us. The priority we place on our own efforts and works tell the story. Because our “actions” seem to produce real results immediately, we place our faith in them practically. When something doesn’t seem to work right away or patience is required amidst any situation, we immediately go to something else until we find what “works.” All the while we are ignoring the most important things we can do each day.

Is our faith real? Do we truly believe that God exists and that Jesus died for sin so that we could be reconnected to the Father? Shouldn’t that impact the way we live and how we spend our time? Shouldn’t it yield a change in our priorities? Change is inevitable. The greatest change we can experience is in a new birth through Jesus Christ. If we wake up each day determined to pursue Jesus in all that we think, do, and say, then we will begin to see that the consistency we long for lies in a God who never changes. But until we really know God, we will never understand this truth.

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