Honestly, did that intro not sound like an infomercial? If I tacked on a price tag of $19.99 (plus shipping and handling), Billy Mays could have thrown that pitch. Yet, the idea of "finding God's will" in our decisions, both big and small, is a legitimate question that many Christians fret over regularly. I mean, we don't want to screw this thing up. What if God wanted me to go to Dartmouth instead of Ole Miss? What if God wanted me to marry another guy, who happens to live in Oregon, while I am a doctor in Miami?
These kind of questions frustrate many Christians, particularly the young 20 and 30 something crowd that I happen to fall in. We don't want to go against the grand scheme that God has laid out for us. Yet, the answer to finding God's will is much simpler than you may think.
"In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him." -Hebrews 1:2, HCSB
Here, the author of Hebrews makes it rather clear: if we want to hear God speak, we realize that He speaks through the Son. So, if we want to hear God tell us what to do, we find Jesus. Got it. Now, where is He, exactly? Oh, yeah. He ascended and went to the right hand of the Father. So... how it that we are to get direction from Him?
"In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God."
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God."
-John 1:1, HCSB
Jesus is the Word. Word meaning that He is found in Scripture, which means that the best way to communicate with God is to read His Word. I mean, we have 66 books worth of God speaking to us? If we are looking for God to help guide us through a decision, why wouldn't we start there? It only makes sense.
Here's the part where you say, "But Bryan, the Bible doesn't directly tell me what to do. I get that it's telling me a lot of things, but I still don't know whether to go to Dartmouth or Ole Miss." I get what you are saying, so let me give a few pointers:
1. Make sure both decisions are without sin. If your choosing of an option in a decision is directly sinful, or will easily lead to sin when the other option will not, I suggest avoiding the sinful/sin-leading option. The Bible is clear that we are to avoid sin at all costs.
2. Pick which one is the most God-glorifying. If both seem to be legitimately moral options, try to figure out which one helps you to take His name to the world the best. If one option seems to better allow you to spread the name of Jesus, then I'd be willing to bet that option is probably best. Acts 1:8 says that we are to be His witnesses; regardless of the option, will you be able to be His witness there?
3. Choose what you want. Yes, this seems crazy and strangely not spiritual, but think about it. After you know someone for a while, can't you start anticipating what their responses and decisions will be before they even make them? Of course you can; you've learned how their mind works. So if you are following Christ in your life, pursuing a life of godliness, praying and reading the Word, you are getting closer to God, correct? If you are getting closer to God, does that not make it easier to know what He would pick?
That fact is that the Bible never states that God will direct you in any other way than through His Word and you growing closer to Him. Yes, there are example of Him showing people His guidance in other ways, but they are almost always completely unexpected. Just pursue Him, weigh the options based on what His Word says, and you should see yourself making more and more decisions that are focused on God, and not on yourself. As long as the focus is on Him, you can't go wrong.
-Special thanks to Kevin DeYoung, whose book Just Do Something inspired this post and has helped my get a more biblical view of finding God's guidance-
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