Is It (__________) God's Will?

Recently a friend asked me how to know God's will on a specific issue. I thought in response, "Wow, that's the million dollar question for Christians." I can't count how many times I find myself wondering the very same thing. Sometimes the answer is pretty cut and dry. Other times it's very difficult to know whether God cares at all about a decision. "Which shirt should I wear today? Should I get my oil changed this week or wait until pay day? Should I buy such and such thing? Is God calling me to do this?"

Part of what makes it so difficult for us may be that we are so used to hearing do's and don'ts that are associated with our faith. However, this is not the whole point of knowing God. Part of being a servant of Christ is obeying Him and doing what He wants us to do. However, God's whole plan for us is not restricted only to the things He wants us to do (and not do). It also includes exercising the abilities He created us with - including free will. In exercising our ability to make choices, sometimes God remains silent, effectively passing the decision back into our own lap, even if we have offered it up to Him in prayer or in our hearts. By doing this, I believe God want's us to learn some things, for examply how to exercise our faith and other virtues like love or patience.

Never the less, in answer to my friend's question, I belive there are some principles God gives us to help guide us even when He is being silent.

1. God gives us freedom and a free will. Alot of times we over analyze whether God wants us to do something or not in life. There are specific do's and don'ts in the Bible (like DO love God and love others, and DON'T live only for yourself or for money, to name a couple). However alot of the activites and actions we engage in on a daily basis may be hard to measure by those clearcut standards. It's what some people call "gray areas." Areas that may be God's will or may not. But one thing to remember is that in Christ we have FREEDOM to make decisions and choices under God's guidance. (Check out 1 Cor. 10:29; Galations 5:1; 5:13; I Peter 2:16)

2. The Good vs. the Best principal. This is a principal which loosely interpreted means there are sometimes in life when you must choose between two or a number of positive choices. In those instances, you can ask God to help you look for the BEST choice or option. For example, in Luke 10:38-42, we read that when Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha, He found two women that loved Him deeply but showed it in different ways. In the end, Mary choose the BEST option by choosing to sit at Jesus feet and listen to His words, whereas Mary chose a good option, but not the best one. Similarly, but not always quite so spiritual, we may find instances in life where there are two good choices and our responsibility is to seek the BEST.

3. Having faith in God's ability to oversee all of life's activities and situations. Proverb's 3:5,6 promise that if we trust in God and acknowledge His power to guide us, He will lead us in every avenue. Similarly we find Jesus' words in Matthew 6:33,34 that admonish us to seek God and His kingdom as though nothing else matters, and when we do God will take care of our every needs. To me, the real principle at work here is that God honors when we have faith in Him and He honors when we seek His will by simply asking Him. If we are willing to acknowledge His place in our lives, by asking Him what He may want of us, then even in those instances that do not require any clearcut course of action, I believe God will lead us in a way that we'll find His blessing. The important thing is to believe He is able to lead and make His plan clearly known.

4. To piggy back off the last point - sometimes taking some advice from simply "roadsigns" can be a good way to find God's plan, but we must have faith that God is behind it all. What I mean by this is that sometimes life answers our questions for us, by canceling out one of our options or clearly indicating one that is best. In those times, we can move forward in faith, trusting that God is at the helm of all that's going on. It's like a corny saying goes that says, "When God closes one door, He opens up a window." Well the point is that sometimes God will simply eliminate an option, and we can trust that He is leading then by His providence. If a door is closed, walk through a different one.

I think the key point here behind all of these points is that we must remember that God desires for us to become responsible individuals, managing our time, our actions, our resources, our throughts and words all in such a way that we ultimately honor Him. That requires us to seek His direction. Often then when we do, we find He grants us the freedom again to make a choice, in hopes that ultimately we will learn from our decisions.