What Is God’s Will For My Life?

“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)

The most common question asked to a most common pastor is: “What is God’s will for my life?” But wouldn’t you believe it? The Bible plainly tells us God’s will for our life. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” (1 Thess. 4:3) The problem is not in the knowing of God’s will; the problem is in the doing of God’s will. For Paul says, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.” (Rom. 1:21) We are the only lumps of clay in all of creation who have a problem with doing God’s will.

God calls forth the sun each morning like a bridegroom from her chambers, yet I’ve never heard the sun complain. I don’t know a single soul in south Mississippi who is pulling out their winter wear because they question the sun’s daily rise. Even more so, Isaiah says that God calls out the stars by name, but I’ve never heard God have to call their name twice. They are obedient the first time.

Even the angels flock to do God’s will. In Isaiah 6, God sends the angel to Isaiah, and what does the angel do? Drag his feet? Moan? Pitch a fit? No, the angel flies to Isaiah – no delay, no debate, no deliberation, only swift obedience. Some readers may say, “Zach, what of the devil!?” To quote Martin Luther, “Even the devil is God’s devil.” The devil is but a dog who stays at the end of his leash, but he is still on the leash. God’s will is done in heaven.

Now, what about on earth? Why in the world do we ask about God’s will, receive clear answers, and struggle to do it? The answer: sin. We are unable and unwilling. No one does good, not even one. “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” (Ecc. 7:20) Instead, Jesus was willing and able to be obedient to the point of death in our stead (Phil. 2:9-11). By faith, we are united to his life and his death, finding both a new heart, a new mind, and a new willingness to know and obey God’s will in all things (Gal. 2:20). We must first know His Son in order to do His will. A prayer for God’s will to be done on earth is a prayer to conform us more to His obedient Son in heaven.