For years I often ponder upon this question right after Sunday church service, ‘what is the will of God’? or why is it such a big deal in a Christian life let alone my decisions? It always leaves me wondering, especially during the lowest moments of my life – I find myself praying to God seeking and asking Him, ‘Lord show me Your will because I can’t go on on my own’. Its almost as if I’ve come to the end of my energy to find answers and needed a Divine intervention to hold me up to my reality. Have you ever experience it? It’s always during our desperation we turn to His presence to seek validations and answers. I wouldn’t be ashamed to admit that I had asked myself a countless and countless of times now, WHAT IS THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD in my life.
I love this quote from Pastor Priscilla Shirer,
“Every decision you need to make, every task you need to accomplish, every relationship you need to navigate, every element of daily life you need to traverse, God has already perfectly matched up with an equivalent-to-overflowing supply of His grace. If you don’t agree with that, then you either lack a proper appreciation for what you have, or you are doing things that you’re not supposed to be participating in right now.”
Priscilla Shirer
Growing up in a strong Christian family, my values in the Word of God is strongly rooted. So we often have talks and discussion about Jesus, revelations, the End times, and obviously the WILL of God. Everyone had their own opinion about the will of God and in church, pastors have their version of the WILL of God. This was so subjective that I never really understood what it really was until my prayer journey begun during the early days of my teenage life. I went through different walks of life and through every season I know that the Lord had been teaching me and made me understand what exactly it meant to have the WILL of God as a centered core in my life and it all goes back to the Bible end of the day, God’s sovereign will and God’s prescriptive will.
God’s sovereign will
In one sense God’s will is something that will always happen no matter what. This is sometimes called God’s sovereign will. When God states that something will happen, it does. No person could have stopped Jesus from dying on the cross for the sins of the world. That was God’s will, and it was going to come to pass no matter what.
When we make big decisions, we can take comfort in His sovereign will, because no matter what we do, we cannot ruin God’s ultimate plans. In times of uncertainty, you can remember God’s permanent will that once you become a child of God, nothing can separate you from His love.
God’s prescriptive will
The other aspect of God’s will is what He asks His people to do. This is often called as His prescriptive will. God has given many commands to His people, but He also allows people a choice: whether or not to obey His commands. There are not specific commands for every possible situation in your life, but understanding God’s character through His words and specific commands enables you to seek His will in any situation.
When you do know God’s will, you can choose to obey or disobey Him, but ultimately, God is still in control. Our disobedience cannot derail God’s ultimate plan.
How did I discover the perfect will of God?
If there is one lesson I’ve learned throughout my life, it’s to surrender our personal desires at the feet of God. As I seek God’s will, I know that having a willful and open heart is very vital to my journey. But hear me out, if you have already decided what to do and are only coming to God so He can approve your decision, you are not really seeking His will. Period.
I know, I know, you may have something in mind that you think is best or that you want to happen and THAT’s OKAY – just make sure to acknowledge that you are biased toward a certain decision or outcome. Think through why you feel more drawn to one particular option.
Remember, …….
Don’t mistake your own thoughts, desires and plans for God’s voice.
In the past, I always wanted a certain situation to take place because I wanted it to happen but I never really asked God if it was His will. Today, it all makes clear sense to me. If those situations would have taken place, I guess I wouldn’t have started blogging in the first place! So, coming back, to really understand what God is saying to us, be open to God in His guidance from any direction. Remember fam, when your desire to follow God outweighs your desire for a certain outcome, you are ready to hear from God.
Don’t ignore your emotions and desires when seeking God’s will. God gives you emotions and desires, so listening to them is part of this process. But you shouldn’t let them cloud your vision as you consider different sources of guidance. Consider how your choices will impact other people but don’t make a decision just to please someone else. Following God will not always make everyone else happy, so be willing to disappoint others in your pursuit of God’s will.
Some things to reflect upon
Looking back at your life, have you ever experienced a time when God was guiding you in a specific direction but you didn’t realize it until much later? How does this reassure you as you make choices and take steps of faith?
It’s really good to see young children prioritizing GOD in their life. Good post