I Want To Know God’s Will

“I want to know God’s will.”

A household expression within Christian circles that I am sure we’ve all either said or heard. It has evolved into our prescribed answer for questions about the future or even about today — this very moment. It acts as our antidote for uncertainties and for not being able to make decisions.

I dare say it has become our excuse for inaction.

I believe we say this not because we want to undoubtedly know God’s will. We say this because we want to either ignore what is before us or to “safely” escape from not doing what we already know we should be doing. We give this Christianese alibi to avoid carrying out a step of faith.

We say we want to know God’s will to have a “logical” reason to provide others for not making a choice or even delaying the obvious. We dodge the truth while giving a compelling rationale for not moving forward. Or, we falsely wait for an answer from God we know, on some level of consciousness, we will never get.

I suspect that this stems out of our fear of making a mistake. Fear of having no control over the results. Fear of being a failure.

Somehow, we consider the way the world operates is the way we should be while we count on God to make sure we don’t become failures. So we announce that we want to know God’s will while hoping that He gives us directives on making all the “right” moves to be successful in the eyes of everyone around us — Christians and non-Christians alike.

His Will

I have fallen in the sentiment of “I want to know God’s will for my life.” I dove in that pool of vague acknowledgment that God’s will is to somehow align everything for my benefit while believing that it is His will for me to be successful and comfortable.

I painfully discovered that my success or comfort is not what He is after.

Today, if I truly ask myself, “Do I really want to know God’s will?” I believe my answer would be, “No.” It would frighten me to know God’s will.

What if it is His will for me to suffer a great deal of pain and die in a prison cell like many of our persecuted brothers and sisters? What if it is His will for me to lose a child like Mary did when she lost Jesus? What if it is His will for me to be married to an adulterer just like Hosea marrying Gomer?

None of these scenarios offer an enticing package of happiness and warmth for me. None suggest that I would be unharmed and unscathed. None guarantee my life on this earth to be at ease.

It is also not unlike Him to ask any of these stories to be mine — to be ours.

Yes, it would frighten me to know God’s will. The daunting task of obedience seems not a good choice for me; however, His love propels me to seek His will and to desire that for myself even if it promises to be riddled with pain. His grace moves me into needing to be in His will no matter how terrifying it is.

Who God is prompts my weak heart to follow His lead no matter how absurd it may seem.

So, even though I am scared of the possible pain that I might experience in treading the steps He is showing me, I take the step anyway. Somehow, an unlikely strength builds up within me as I obey; strength, I know can only materialize because of Him.

Pray and Be Confident

God may not give us specifics for every situation, but I believe He makes His will very clear. He makes His will so unmistakable that it eliminates the need to wonder what it is, so apparent that it leaves no room for speculations.

If we are honest with ourselves, in most cases if not all, I reckon we know exactly what His will is. Except we frequently ignore it because it doesn’t match with what we want His answer to be or we are afraid to be wrong and look foolish. We become paralyzed with our fears; we end up passively letting things happen without making a definite choice to obey God.

Whatever we do, we should pray. We should ask Him to guide us and to fill us with His wisdom. Daily, we should seek for the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives and to keep in step with Him in all that we do. Daily, we should pray for the Spirit’s power to manifest in our lives as we live out the realities of being God’s children.

Pray. Then, confidently make decisions.

As we maintain an intimate relationship with Jesus and labor to keep our hearts to be in tune with His, we must be focused in our walk and certain in making our choices as we know He is leading us to. We must not be held back by our fear of committing a mistake or by what other people may think of us even well-meaning Christian friends and family.

God is our only audience. He is the only one whom we should please.

If there is one thing I am certain of, I hold to be unquestionably true that it is His will we obey and honor Him in all that He asks of us.

January 25, 2015
8:11 p.m.
Krabi, Thailand

© 2015 Kezia Lewis. All Rights Reserved.