What is God's Will For Me, How Can I Know?

FaithWalkDaily October 13, 2008

Jesus said, in Mark 3:35, Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.

To have a relationship with Christ, if we are truly a member of His family, we desire to be in God's will. It is the kind of yearning that causes us to question, what exactly is His will for me, and how do I know when I'm in it?

I have a couple of tests I use. The first and paramount examination is to look at Scripture. Is what I think I'm supposed to do, Biblically sound?

A few years ago, our church was in need of someone to lead our Ministry to Women. When the announcement was made from the pulpit one Sunday, I immediately thought, "I should do that." We had been with this church for 6 months in worship, and as instructed by our former pastor when we moved, had waited that long to settle in and get to know the fellowship and ways of this particular body and denomination. The 6 months had just expired, so I asked, "Lord, is this what You want me to do?" Then I waited for an answer. The body had a need and it is certainly Scriptural to serve the church so there was no question there.

The question was, was I a leader, could I do it? I had to say no, I'm not a leader! This goes against my nature in every way, free spirited, worker bee that I am. I'm a contributor, not a director. But still, that little voice kept going off every time the subject came up. That's where my second test comes into play. I call it my third-time-rule. Whenever I'm questioning something and it comes up before me three or more times unexpectedly and unprompted from different sources, I begin to get a strong sense that God is pushing me in that direction.

So I shared with my husband what I'd been thinking and he said I should take it to the pastor and see what he thought. when I sat down with our new pastor, and asked how I could know if this is God's will for me and the women of GracePoint, he said, (paraphrased) it's in alignment with Scripture and you feel a tug in your heart, go for it.

A couple days later when I told one of my new friends in the fellowship I was thinking of accepting the responsibility for the ministry to women, she said, I knew you would, I just had a feeling. A number of others said the same thing. In the end, I didn't have the leadership abilities at all, but for the next 2 1/2 years, God provided a host of wonderful, organized helpers to fill in the gaps. We succeeded in the goals we set and God's work was done with me being nothing more than a conduit for His will. I always felt unequipped and inadequate for the task and was continually amazed at what God did with everything in that ministry.

Rom 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

You can rest assured that in our humble inability, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. He does the prompting, He does the providing. All we have to do is participate.

The next time you say no because something is out of your range of spiritual gifts, or you feel incapable of what's being asked, don't insult God. If you feel a tug at your heart to step up, test it against Scripture, watch to see if God keeps bringing it up in different ways by different sources, and seek guidance from those in authority who will have a leading from the Holy Spirit as well. When all the lights are green, trust God to provide all that's needed to accomplish His work through you, according to Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Conversely, the next time you're absolutely certain God has His hand on you to fill the opening, don't be insulted or leave the church because "they didn't see God's will." Go back and pray some more, look for God's leading and trust that His will is being done, possibly through another. If He didn't call you to the work you wanted or thought you would be good at, He has something better, just for you. Wait with joyful anticipation to see what it is. Maybe He's still honing you for just what He has in mind for you to do. I know from experience, there have been many times I thought God was taking me in a direction that I later discovered wasn't God's will for me at all.

I'm thankful now for where He really is taking me, and that I'm learning day by day to trust Him explicitly! After all He is God. I'm just the cracked pot.

Watch, be willing, be humble.

Lord God, Almighty and Omniscient Father, I know You have a perfect plan for my life. I know that when I'm obedient, when I'm in tune with Your will, everything always runs smoothly. Grant me the wisdom today to sit still and wait on You, to trust in Your sovereign ways, and to be grateful for whatever is my chosen path. In Jesus' name, amen.