Discovering God's Will

If everything goes according to plan then I know I made the right choice. If all the proverbial doors swing on their well-oiled hinges, and I walk through without a hitch, then obviously I’m in God’s will. Those statements sound nice and true. We often judge how deep we are encrusted in God’s will by how well our circumstances are going. Unfortunately, external indicators are no indicators at all.
Most people that I talk to in the church realm want to know God’s will for their lives. In fact, many people not in the church realm still have this desire to do God’s will. They call it different things, but a rose by any other name…yea you get the picture. Since we want to do God’s will, the next logical question is how do we know God’s will? How do we hack into the cosmic communication network to hear and understand exactly what God wants us to do?
We hear sermons, we get advice, or we trudge it alone. But when it is all done and said we determine if we are in God’s will based solely upon the outcome of our lives. If we are successful and have money in the bank then we are in God’s will. If our families are happy, healthy, and wise, then we are in God’s will. If tears never run down our face then we have heard from God and are in the center of his will.
The last time I checked the center of God’s will is not the center of the “American Dream” will. When you pore over the Bible you find that the main characters who were absolutely in God’s will had horrible lives you begin to question the American mindset. The Apostle Paul wrote over half of the New Testament, had a personal visit from Jesus Christ, and was instrumental in shaping the church that we now hold dear. So was he in God’s will?
I would say yes, but then why was he ship wrecked? Beaten? Stoned? Ignored? Imprisoned and executed? Sorry this is not according to the good church plan now is it? Being in the center of God’s will is the most tumultuous place to be. It is a place reserved for those that are not scared of adventure. Not frightened by the unknown, and not unearthed by adversity. The center of God’s will is not a place for those who question every step of life, but are faithfully moving forward in spite of the groping darkness.
Does that mean that we are only in God’s will if things look like Hell on Earth? Of course not. In the book of John, chapter 10, it says, “A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” God wants us to have life to the fullest, but we also need to recognize that the enemy wants the opposite. It’s a balance in life. Just because things are going awry in your life does not mean you are out of God’s will, it could just mean that you are messing with the enemy and his territory. That’s not a bad thing, but a godly thing. After all, Jesus called for workers and warriors, not satisfied spectators.
So the next time you want to know if you are in God’s will, don’t just look at the ease of the journey. The trail that God lays out is not a concrete nature trail but an open terrain with obstacles, valleys, mountains, and streams. You’re not lost, you’re on an adventure.