Certainty and God’s Will
Carey Conway from Ontario, Canada asks:
How can I be certain, Brother Ray, that this-or-that is His Will for me? Gratefully, — Carey
Ray Pritchard’s answer
The answer is, most of the time we can’t be certain. I think the problem comes because we use the phrase “God’s will” in a sense different from the biblical writers. We think in terms of decisions, but the will of God in Scripture doesn’t have much to do with decisions about marriage, jobs, money, career, and so on. The will of God in the Bible is usually stated in moral terms:
To become like Christ.
To live a pure life.
To live in harmony with fellow believers.
To pray to the Lord.
To preach the gospel.
To give as God prospers us.
To grow in the Word.
I don’t think God ever intended that we have certainty about this job or that job or living in this city or that city or even marrying this person or that person. We are to seek the Lord, use our intelligence, pray, read the Word, and then trust God to guide our steps as we move forward.
I believe the whole search for “certainty” is misguided in that it seeks something God never promised. That’s why the Bible says we walk by faith, not by sight.
On many decisions of life, I think we are intended to live in the “perhaps” realm because, frankly, those things we tend to obsess over really won’t matter that much 10,000 years from now. But what will matter is whether or not we truly sought to be godly, to walk in the Spirit, to manifest the life of Christ, and to make the gospel beautiful by the way we live. Those things are truly the will of God for all of us all the time.
That said, I think the “certainty” we seek will often come after a decision and not before. Many times we must take a step of faith, trusting God to lead us. Only later can we look back and that God was involved even when we weren’t certain about what we were doing. See When You Need to Know, You’ll Know.
Visitor Comments:
March 21, 2009, 7:44 AM Luv4Him says: | |
 | This was just what I needed to hear. I haven’t thought about it like this, I was always looking for answers to decisions and frustrated because I couldn’t hear God’s will. Looking back over my life, he has brought me through much, even what I though were my bad decisions. I do have a question though... I made a decision several years back to quit nursing school that I have regretted since. I’m in a non service field now, which I’m not that happy in. The day I quit it was based a lot on fear. But, I had intense personal issues at the time and felt very overwelmed and changed curriculums. So, my question is, if I went against God’s will that day I quit, does it mean I pay for it forever? It’s been 7 years and I have to accept it, but the thought that I wasted my life due to going against God is nearly unbearable. |
April 13, 2009, 8:06 PM Ray Pritchard says: | |
 | It would be a mistake to think that your last seven years were wasted. They weren’t. And I don’t think you should conclude that you made a mistake. You made the best decision you could make at the time. Might you decide differently? Yes, but that’s not the issue. No matter how much we would all like to get a “do over” in life, that never happens. Life is a river that flows ever onward. You can’t go back, but by God’s grace you can go forward. Don’t torture yourself about that decision. The most fundamental truth I know is this—the past is past. You can’t alter it or erase it. But you can move forward by faith. The question is not, what would you do if you had that decision to make over again? The real question is, will you seek to do God’s will in the decisions you must make today? And I think the answer is yes because you truly want to please God. Let not your heart be troubled. You haven’t blown the rest of your life. You can serve God effectively today, tomorrow and for all the days after that. Ray |
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