It’s great to be back blogging again after taking a break for the holidays. While taking some time off, I read David Platt’s book Follow Me. In that book, he makes a statement that really resonated with me: “God’s will isn’t something we find; it’s something we follow.” All of us know what it is like to seek God’s will regarding an important decision. Certainly, David Platt would be first to agree that our decisions should be bathed in prayer before the Lord. His statement really speaks to the fact that most of God’s will for our lives is already revealed in scripture. It’s clear what we are to do. Our job is to begin earnestly seeking to align our lives with God’s will as revealed in the Bible.
Let’s take a couple of examples. In the last verses of the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord Jesus gives us what is commonly referred to as the Great Commission…
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:19–20, HCSB)
This is God’s will for us as individuals. This is God’s will for our churches. We don’t have to pray about it, have a business meeting about it, or otherwise decide. It is God’s will that we make disciples of the nations. Period. The issue is how we live that out in our individual lives and our churches. The issue is how we align our lives and our churches according to God’s will. Here is another example…
“Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, HCSB)
Did you see it? It is God’s will that we rejoice in Him always, pray constantly, and give thanks in every circumstance. Our challenge is doing that when everything in us screams otherwise. Our challenge is doing that when our natural selfishness and comfort pull in the other direction. However, there is great blessing when we consciously seek to align our lives according to God’s will in these areas.
Those are just two examples, but if you think about the scriptures you already know, then you will find that so much of God’s will for your life is already known. What about the areas of your life where God hasn’t spoken clearly? Concentrate on being obedient in the areas where he already has spoken clearly until the way becomes more clear about those particular issues. Too often, we get so caught up dwelling on the 5% of God’s will we don’t know that we fail to understand the 95% of His will we already do know. Think about it. That’s why most of God’s will is followed, not found. He has already made it clear.
Many years ago when I was a young pastor, a member of the church I was serving at the time made a statement I’ve never forgotten. He said, “Pastor, let’s face it. Most of us know a lot more than we are doing.” WOW! Isn’t that so true? I imagine that every single one of us reading this blog already knows more of God’s will than we are doing right now. Let’s get busy following God’s will rather than worrying so much about finding it.
gregcorbin.com 