| Knowing the Will of God |
by David A. DePra |
| How can we know the will of God for our lives? This seems |
| a simple enough question. But thousands of Christians struggle |
| with it every day. They cannot seem to discover God's will. |
| There are many techniques people use to try to find God's will. |
| Some ask other Christians what God's will is for them. And |
| unfortunately, there are some Christians more than eager to |
| volunteer the answer. Others try to coerce God into telling them |
| His will by doing what they would define as "good works." Still |
| yet others seek to find the will of God by going to a certain church, |
| joining a prayer group, or by sitting under a wise teacher. |
| None of these things are what God tells us we must do to find |
| His will for our lives. God actually gives a very precise command |
| on the matter. Jesus said, "If any man wills to do His will, he shall |
| know.." (John 7:17) In other words, if you want to know whether |
| something is true; if you want to discern the will of God, get your |
| heart unconditionally surrendered to it. Be willing to do the will |
| of God even before you know it. An unconditional surrender to |
| God is the prerequisite for knowing His will. |
| We usually get this backwards. We think that we must first |
| KNOW the will of God, and then surrender to it. But no. God says |
| to first surrender to Him, and then you'll be able to discern His |
| will. |
| Paul the apostle taught exactly the same thing. He wrote, "I |
| beseech you brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your |
| bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your |
| spiritual worship. And be not conformed to this world, but be you |
| transformed by the renewing of your mind, THAT YOU MAY |
| PROVE WHAT IS THAT GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT |
| WILL OF GOD." (Romans 12:1-2) |
| How does Paul say we can come to discern the will of God? By |
| presently ourselves to God, as a living sacrifice. In other words, |
| by unconditionally surrendering to God. By losing our life to Him. |
| An unconditional surrender to God is something we must do |
| again and again, over many specific circumstances. But it is also |
| an overall attitude which we must adopt. We must approach life |
| as if we do not belong to ourselves; do not have the last word. We |
| continually hand ourselves over to God for whatever He wants -- |
| even if we don't have a clue as to "whatever" might be. |
| "If any man wills to do His will, he shall know." That willing |
| heart of obedience, even if it doesn't perform very well when put |
| into words and actions, is what God is primarily after in us. God |
| knows all about our imperfections, and about our inability to |
| understand what He is doing. But any child can surrender to God. |
| It takes only a choice to stand by faith against all that would move |
| me from my surrender and trust in Jesus Christ. If I will make |
| that choice and stick by it, God says. I will prove what is that |
| perfect will of God. |
| A remarkable thing happens when I surrender to God and |
| stand by faith. I not only grow to KNOW the will of God, |
| both generally and specifically, but I grow to BECOME the will of |
| God. I become a personification of His grace. |