What’s God’s Will for my Life?
What isn’t God’s will?
Knowing God’s will is something that every person has wondered at one point or another. Maybe they haven’t accredited God with this, but everyone has this innate desire to have something they’re living for. You see it everywhere. What wakes you up in the morning? What’s your 5 year plan? What are you going to college for? Then if someone doesn’t have goals or a passion that’s driving them, their mental state turns for the worse. I’m sure you can relate. It’s how we were designed.
Even as Christians, we get stuck in the wheel of trying to figure out what God’s will for our life is. Do I become a missionary? Do I go to seminary or a regular college? Do I even go to college? Who is my spouse going to be? We get so caught up in asking these big questions, that are important and we should ask God to lead us in these things, but it shouldn’t be the main thing.
Prioritizing the main thing
So what is the main thing? That’s something only you can answer. Take a second and actually take some time to come up with an honest answer. I think we all know the answer as to what it should be, but you’ll never truly get there unless you assess why you aren’t there currently. So, consider what you spend most of your day thinking about. What do you schedule your week around? What is the biggest thing you’ve put value on? What is your 5 year plan?
When Jesus was walking on earth, making disciples, and teaching people about the kingdom of God, He had His eyes on the main thing. He only did what He saw His Father doing. We have to have this same reality as we follow in Jesus’ footsteps. If you’re feeling stuck prioritizing something other than Jesus, don’t freak out about it! Just surrender to Him. All we need is to engage with our Father, just like Jesus did and He will take care of the rest, which leads us into what God’s will actually is!
Here it is… God’s will
With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Ephesians 1:8b-10
From the very beginning, the will of God was “to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” The Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are already in union with one another and their plan was to bring us into that union. In John 17:20, Jesus prays that His followers “may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”
When humans were initially created, when sin entered the world, when Jesus walked on the earth, and now, God’s will has always been unity. If we understand what it looks like to unify with Jesus and submit to Him, nothing else matters.
Just doing what Jesus did isn’t enough though
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:21-23
Being a Christian and walking in the will of God isn’t just doing the things that Christians do. You have to actually be unified with Christ, meaning you have to really know Him. When you’re unified with someone, you’re on the same page in every aspect of life. You’re so vulnerable with each other that there’s no place for anything to hide. You’re willing to give things up in order to make the vision work.
Jesus got so vulnerable that he hung on a cross naked after being whipped, tortured, and mocked, because He had His eyes on what was to come. He has become so vulnerable with the world, including you. Will you be vulnerable with Him? Will you open up your heart and let Him know every grievance you have? Will you let Him in on the deepest desires of your heart? Will you let Him help you in the hardest and most mundane aspects of your life? Because He wants that.
So what is our part?
God has intentionally created each one of us to be in the time and place that we’re in because He knows where we’ll have the biggest impact to grow the kingdom of heaven. However, Jesus is the one that calls people to the kingdom. The only thing He wants us to focus on is to know our Father. If we are following Jesus, we are watching Him and listening to Him. The only way we’re moving is if we see Jesus moving.
Through walking in the will of God, to follow Jesus intimately, He places people in our path for us to share the good news with. The main thing is Jesus, then discipleship, evangelizing, teaching, “the works” are what flows from it. When we are so captivated with Jesus, He will reveal what we need to know when we need to know it. There is no “figuring things out” when you’re walking with Jesus. It’s simply abiding, trusting, and listening.