How can I know God's Will for my Life??
By Mark Roberts who is the Executive Director of Digital Media and the Theological and Cultural Steward for Foundations for Laity Renewal.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
Ephesians 5:17
As a pastor, I have often been asked, "How can I know God's will for my life?" This question was presented to me dozens of times when I was a parish pastor. I still hear it from my "flock," often in the form of emails from folks who receive these Daily Reflections. We want to know what God wants us to do with our lives. We want to know what to do next so we don't get off track.
Ephesians 5:17 encourages me to answer the question "How can I know God's will for my life?" in a way that may sound a bit odd. But bear with me, if you will. Here goes: You can know God's will for your life if you first understand what the Lord's will is.
When we want to know God's will for our life, often we're dealing with very specific issues: where to live, what job to take, whom to marry, where to go to school, and so on. We want to know what God wants us to do in a particular situation, and we want to know it now. To be sure, there are times when God makes his will known without question and in the detail we prefer. But, most of the time, God doesn't work this way. Rather, discerning God's specific will for our lives is a matter of wrestling with God in prayer and discovering how His general will ought to be worked out in our lives.
What we need, therefore, is to understand what the Lord's will is, not just in our lives, but in the whole cosmos. Understanding is more than superficial recognition. It's knowing the basics and making deep connections among them. For example, from Ephesians 1, we know that God's ultimate purpose is to unite all things in Christ. You and I can easily know this if we read Ephesians 1:9-10. But do we understand it? Do we really get it? Does this truth expand our minds and shape our hearts? Does it move us? Does this truth begin to give order to everything else we think and do?
The more we understand, truly and deeply understand, God's will for the cosmos, the more we internalize God's will for every individual, the more we grasp His will for the church, the more we will be in a position to discern His specific will for our specific lives. Our story, if you will, will be shaped by God's own story, our purpose by His own purpose, our heart by His own heart.
Questions for further reflection:
How have you discerned God's will for your life in the past? To what extent has God's larger will shaped your sense of His plans for your own life? What helps you to understand in a deep way the will of God?
Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for making your will known to us. Thank you for your revelation in Scripture. Thank you for sharing with us the wonder of the gospel. Thank you for showing us yourself and your purpose in Jesus Christ.
Help me, Lord, to understand your will for all things. May my understanding be more than superficial, more than an ability to rattle off a few Bible verses, no matter how true they may be. May I understand you and your will deeply, as your Word takes up residence in my inner being, as your Spirit enlightens me, as the community of your people teaches me. AMEN.
By Mark Roberts who is the Executive Director of Digital Media and the Theological and Cultural Steward for Foundations for Laity Renewal.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
Ephesians 5:17
As a pastor, I have often been asked, "How can I know God's will for my life?" This question was presented to me dozens of times when I was a parish pastor. I still hear it from my "flock," often in the form of emails from folks who receive these Daily Reflections. We want to know what God wants us to do with our lives. We want to know what to do next so we don't get off track.
Ephesians 5:17 encourages me to answer the question "How can I know God's will for my life?" in a way that may sound a bit odd. But bear with me, if you will. Here goes: You can know God's will for your life if you first understand what the Lord's will is.
When we want to know God's will for our life, often we're dealing with very specific issues: where to live, what job to take, whom to marry, where to go to school, and so on. We want to know what God wants us to do in a particular situation, and we want to know it now. To be sure, there are times when God makes his will known without question and in the detail we prefer. But, most of the time, God doesn't work this way. Rather, discerning God's specific will for our lives is a matter of wrestling with God in prayer and discovering how His general will ought to be worked out in our lives.
What we need, therefore, is to understand what the Lord's will is, not just in our lives, but in the whole cosmos. Understanding is more than superficial recognition. It's knowing the basics and making deep connections among them. For example, from Ephesians 1, we know that God's ultimate purpose is to unite all things in Christ. You and I can easily know this if we read Ephesians 1:9-10. But do we understand it? Do we really get it? Does this truth expand our minds and shape our hearts? Does it move us? Does this truth begin to give order to everything else we think and do?
The more we understand, truly and deeply understand, God's will for the cosmos, the more we internalize God's will for every individual, the more we grasp His will for the church, the more we will be in a position to discern His specific will for our specific lives. Our story, if you will, will be shaped by God's own story, our purpose by His own purpose, our heart by His own heart.
Questions for further reflection:
How have you discerned God's will for your life in the past? To what extent has God's larger will shaped your sense of His plans for your own life? What helps you to understand in a deep way the will of God?
Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for making your will known to us. Thank you for your revelation in Scripture. Thank you for sharing with us the wonder of the gospel. Thank you for showing us yourself and your purpose in Jesus Christ.
Help me, Lord, to understand your will for all things. May my understanding be more than superficial, more than an ability to rattle off a few Bible verses, no matter how true they may be. May I understand you and your will deeply, as your Word takes up residence in my inner being, as your Spirit enlightens me, as the community of your people teaches me. AMEN.
What Really Matters to God
READ Psalm 50:1-23
I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens. [Psalm 50:8-9]
Every time I read Psalm 50, I am startled. In this psalm, God recognizes that the Israelites are properly offering the sacrifices God himself had required in the law. Yet he says that he doesn’t need these sacrifices. What God wants most of all from his people is not proper religious activity, but faithfulness in worship and true obedience: “But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God” (50:23).
Let’s face it. It’s easier to put on a good show of religiosity than to live a life of genuine gratitude and faithfulness to God. Though we Christians aren’t offering literal sacrifices, we often focus on doing all the “right things” that show others what fine Christians we are. Yet, in private, our lives can be far from God’s intentions for us. We can look great on Sunday morning. But how do we look on Monday evening when nobody’s watching . . . nobody except the Lord, of course.
Nothing in Psalm 50 suggests that we should stop gathering with God’s people for worship or singing the songs or praying the prayers. But it does challenge us to take a good look at our whole lives. Are we living each day for God and his purposes? Are we honoring him when we’re alone? in our daydreams? in our finances? in our secret ambitions? What really matters to God is not that we excel in religious activity, but that we offer our whole selves to him in every moment. As Jesus made clear, our highest calling is to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbors as ourselves . . . every moment of every day.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Are you ever tempted to put on a religious “show” for the sake of others? When? Are you living your life with a consistent awareness of what matters most to God?
PRAYER: O Lord, when I read Psalm 50, it’s as if I heard you say “Gotcha!” You know how hard I work to look good to others. I can put on a show of my religion. But what about my hidden thoughts? What about my daily living? Do I offer myself to you fully, consistently? You know the answer to this question.
Forgive me, Lord, for all the times I live as if you weren’t there or as if you didn’t matter. Forgive me for my shallowness and hypocrisy. Help me, by your Spirit, to live for you completely, giving you all that I am every moment. What matters most to you is all of me: heart, soul, mind, and strength. May I offer my whole self to you this day and every day ahead.
To you be all the glory! Amen.
READ Psalm 50:1-23
I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens. [Psalm 50:8-9]
Every time I read Psalm 50, I am startled. In this psalm, God recognizes that the Israelites are properly offering the sacrifices God himself had required in the law. Yet he says that he doesn’t need these sacrifices. What God wants most of all from his people is not proper religious activity, but faithfulness in worship and true obedience: “But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God” (50:23).
Let’s face it. It’s easier to put on a good show of religiosity than to live a life of genuine gratitude and faithfulness to God. Though we Christians aren’t offering literal sacrifices, we often focus on doing all the “right things” that show others what fine Christians we are. Yet, in private, our lives can be far from God’s intentions for us. We can look great on Sunday morning. But how do we look on Monday evening when nobody’s watching . . . nobody except the Lord, of course.
Nothing in Psalm 50 suggests that we should stop gathering with God’s people for worship or singing the songs or praying the prayers. But it does challenge us to take a good look at our whole lives. Are we living each day for God and his purposes? Are we honoring him when we’re alone? in our daydreams? in our finances? in our secret ambitions? What really matters to God is not that we excel in religious activity, but that we offer our whole selves to him in every moment. As Jesus made clear, our highest calling is to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbors as ourselves . . . every moment of every day.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Are you ever tempted to put on a religious “show” for the sake of others? When? Are you living your life with a consistent awareness of what matters most to God?
PRAYER: O Lord, when I read Psalm 50, it’s as if I heard you say “Gotcha!” You know how hard I work to look good to others. I can put on a show of my religion. But what about my hidden thoughts? What about my daily living? Do I offer myself to you fully, consistently? You know the answer to this question.
Forgive me, Lord, for all the times I live as if you weren’t there or as if you didn’t matter. Forgive me for my shallowness and hypocrisy. Help me, by your Spirit, to live for you completely, giving you all that I am every moment. What matters most to you is all of me: heart, soul, mind, and strength. May I offer my whole self to you this day and every day ahead.
To you be all the glory! Amen.
