WHAT IS GOD's WILL?
Dr. Paul Manuel—1994
A question Christians, especially young Christians, often ask at some point in life is: What is God's will?1 When they have to choose from more than one option, they want to know: Which way does He want me to go? For many people, finding the answers is a game of "hide and seek" (or multiple choice). They assume God has a plan for their lives, but it is not immediately obvious, and they must discover it if they are to reach their full potential for Him. While there are occasions when God may have a particular task for us to accomplish, His will (or His way) is usually that we heed what He has already revealed to His people in His word.
In the broadest sense, God's purpose in history is to manifest His glory. He says to Moses (Num 14:21),
The history of Israel offers a good example of this process. After the initial success of the Davidic monarchy, God's plan did not seem to make smooth progress. He sent consultants and quality control experts (prophets), yet often His top-level managers (kings) thought they knew better. He allowed them the freedom to make those decisions until it threatened the plan, at which point He shut down that part of the operation (exile). Through Isaiah, God explains to the people the reason for His action (Isa 48:11).
Following God's will as He has already revealed it does not mean the way will always be clear. Returning to the business analogy, the company policy manual (scripture) does not cover every possible situation, even those that seem crucial to us. "Should I take this job? Which school should I attend? Is this a good investment? Whom should I marry?" What makes such decisions especially difficult is when—after eliminating the obviously wrong answers—we are left with more than one potentially right answer. At that point, we should be careful not to assume there is only one way of accomplishing a particular task or short-range aspect of God's great plan.2 When we have to decide between several options about which the CEO or His instructions are silent, His will per se may not be a factor. In other words, any of the options would make the same contribution toward advancing the plan, and He leaves it to our discretion (perhaps even to our preference) which one to choose. In that case, we will simply frustrate ourselves by insisting that God show us which option is His will. There may also be times when He is silent because we already have sufficient information to make a decision, and He expects us to use good judgment, something we will never develop if He always tells us what to do.
The point is that we should not view God's will or His way as a puzzle we have to solve. God has revealed both to us so that we can concentrate on the more demanding and rewarding tasks of fulfilling His will by following His way.
[2] Nor should we assume that God's will is the same for every person. God did not lead all the exiles in Babylon back to Canaan, only some.
In the broadest sense, God's purpose in history is to manifest His glory. He says to Moses (Num 14:21),
[A]s surely as I live, the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD.Like a good chief executive officer, God does not micro-manage, yet neither does He leave people in the dark about His expectations. That is, He gives them general guidelines (commands), which He expects them to follow as they take part in fulfilling His plan. He then works behind the scenes (providence), offering advice or coordinating logistics to help keep the plan on track. He allows people latitude to make wrong choices (e.g., the prodigal son) or to waste resources (e.g., the single talent), even to oppose the plan to some degree (e.g., the vineyard tenders). He steps in, however, exercising His authority (sovereignty) as CEO when there is an actual threat to the plan.
The history of Israel offers a good example of this process. After the initial success of the Davidic monarchy, God's plan did not seem to make smooth progress. He sent consultants and quality control experts (prophets), yet often His top-level managers (kings) thought they knew better. He allowed them the freedom to make those decisions until it threatened the plan, at which point He shut down that part of the operation (exile). Through Isaiah, God explains to the people the reason for His action (Isa 48:11).
How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.The question for Israel was not "What is God's will?" but "Do we obey God's will?" So it is for us. The question we should be asking most frequently is: Are we following the instruction God has already given? If we can answer, "Yes," then we can be confident that when He has some special direction for us, He will make it clear along the way.
Following God's will as He has already revealed it does not mean the way will always be clear. Returning to the business analogy, the company policy manual (scripture) does not cover every possible situation, even those that seem crucial to us. "Should I take this job? Which school should I attend? Is this a good investment? Whom should I marry?" What makes such decisions especially difficult is when—after eliminating the obviously wrong answers—we are left with more than one potentially right answer. At that point, we should be careful not to assume there is only one way of accomplishing a particular task or short-range aspect of God's great plan.2 When we have to decide between several options about which the CEO or His instructions are silent, His will per se may not be a factor. In other words, any of the options would make the same contribution toward advancing the plan, and He leaves it to our discretion (perhaps even to our preference) which one to choose. In that case, we will simply frustrate ourselves by insisting that God show us which option is His will. There may also be times when He is silent because we already have sufficient information to make a decision, and He expects us to use good judgment, something we will never develop if He always tells us what to do.
The point is that we should not view God's will or His way as a puzzle we have to solve. God has revealed both to us so that we can concentrate on the more demanding and rewarding tasks of fulfilling His will by following His way.
Endnotes
[1] This article appeared first in the Conference Crier (08/07/94), when the SDB annual conference theme was "His Will, His Way." It was then published in the Sabbath Recorder later that year (October 216/10, p. 11).[2] Nor should we assume that God's will is the same for every person. God did not lead all the exiles in Babylon back to Canaan, only some.
Ezra 1:5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved— prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
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