Why Is God’s Will So Hard to Find?
There have been many times in my life when many people have been searching for God’s will in for their life. Usually, this is situational and for those seriously devoted to following Jesus as Lord and Savior, this can be an important thing to know. It can also be a concerning thing as people want to remain in God’s will. But the problem is knowing what His will is and what it means to follow that will. For some, God’s will is like making a dot on a piece of paper. They are afraid that they are going to be somewhere else on the page and they will fail God because they did not find that dot and stay on it. But what if God’s will was obvious and even universal instead of situational and so elusive? It is.
In John 6:28 and 29, the people asked Jesus a question: “Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”” Jesus’ answer was to do the work that God wanted them to do. Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” So, what does the work of God have to do with the will of God? The work of God is the will of God. He is perfect and never changes in His will or work. He created man to glorify Himself. When they failed, He removed them from the Garden, but promised that one day a descendant of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. This means that the role of glorifying God would be reinstituted. At the other end of the Bible, we see the saints gathered around the throne giving glory and honor to the King in Revelation 7:9. So, the will of God and the work of God are both aimed at glorifying God. How do we glorify God? By believing in His Son and living to make much of Him.
But let’s go back to some of the examples in which we might want to question God’s will for us. First, what about were to go to college? Who to marry? Whether to have kids? Which job should I choose? How should I spend my time, money, or expend efforts? Where to live? Which church to attend? The list of situational questions that might arise is inexhaustible! The answer for God’s will in each situation is not always yes or no, but how can I glorify God best? Take for instance, Paul and Barnabas. They were about to go on another missionary journey. As they chose their entourage, Barnabas wanted to take his cousin, John Mark. Because John Mark had run out on them the previous trip, Paul disagreed. They disagreed so sharply that they split up and both groups had an amazing impact on the world. The question was, “Can I glorify God if we stay together? Yes. Can I glorify God if we are apart? Yes. Rather than miss the dot on the paper, there was a way for both teams to glorify God by calling people to believe in Jesus. You can read about their situation in Acts 15.
I want to make sure that I don’t give the wrong impression. While the answer of what the will of God is in a situation is simple, that it no way makes it easy to do. Sometimes, it might seem counterintuitive or difficult, but it is the same, nonetheless. For instance, I used to be an alcoholic. I had a strong desire to be in a bar years ago. Not to fall off the wagon, thank the Lord, but to witness to people who were there. It might seem strange to have an alcoholic go into a bar to share Jesus, but is it? Because I was not drinking, but was sharing Jesus, I was able to be there with no temptation and shared the gospel with the people inside. It was hard to go in, but the will of God was clear. I needed to go and glorify God with my story of how He conquered my addiction. Bad marriage and wondering if it is God’s will to be there? The question should be: how can I glorify God in this marriage? Tough job? Same question. Where to go to school? Where can I glorify God? Where to live? Same question. So, we need not fear that we will choose something wrong and leave the will of God for the rest of our lives. We can instead glorify God wherever we are and whatever situation we are in.