Through the 45+ years of my pastoral ministry, I have been asked literally hundreds, even thousands, of questions. They range from the silly to the serious, from the light-hearted to the life-altering, from the amusing to the amazing, from matters of this life to matters of the life to come. As I have given thought to those questions that seem to come up more often than others, the one that stands out clearly (from the perspective of my personal experience), as the number one most often asked is this: “How can I know God’s will for my life.” This is certainly a most important question to address. It is imperative that we seek God’s guidance in striving to determine our personal life-path.

However, I am inclined to believe that Henry Blackaby, in his most powerful and thought-provoking study, “Experiencing God”, hits on a key point. He suggests that “How can I know God’s will for my life” is actually the wrong question. He suggests that the correct question is this: “How can I know God’s will?” He then goes on to explain that once we understand God’s will, then we can make His will our will. That is certainly an interesting concept to consider, don’t you think? Let’s think seriously about the implications of that statement.

The first thing we need to address is, how do we know God’s will? And the first place to look is in the Bible. God’s will for the life of the believer is clearly laid out for us in Scripture. Think with me about a few statements Jesus made that will validate this truth. He made several “when you…” statements that give us some insight into things that are clearly actions that He expects of us. For example, in Matthew 6:6 He says, “When you pray…” Jesus is obviously making the assumption that part of the believer’s daily routine is prayer. He doesn’t say “If you pray”, but rather “When you pray”. He then goes on to give instructions on this matter of personal prayer. So, when you begin wondering about His will for you, make sure that you are involving yourself in the actions He assumes you are actively engaging in.

Another of these “when you” statements is found in this same passage of Scripture. In Matthew 6:2, Jesus says, “When you do a charitable deed…” The expectation, of course, is that believers will involve themselves in charitable causes. He also gives a word of explanation on this “when you” statement. He says clearly and specifically that we are not to do these charitable deeds to draw attention to self. Rather, they are to be done for His glory, as well as the good of the recipient of our charitable deed.

These two examples of “when you” statements are only given as examples, there being many others that are clear indications of certain actions and activities that are God’s will for every believer to engage in.

Another example of Biblical teachings on how to know God’s will is found in other types of statements made by Jesus. For example, He said, “Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men.” Clear, isn’t it? To follow Jesus means that we will be witnesses for Jesus. And we need to make sure we understand the gravity of this statement: we are witnesses for Him! We are either good witnesses, or bad witnesses, but we are witnesses none-the-less.

Jesus also taught His followers that we are to abide in Him, because it is only as we abide in Him, the Vine, that we, the branches, can bear any fruit. And how do we go about abiding in Him? By personal surrender to His Word, His will, His teachings. We are to live daily in the awareness of His presence.

Perhaps a good way to facilitate knowing His will is to remind ourselves that everywhere we go, we take Jesus with us. He is always there, ever present. He hears every word, sees every action, witnesses every attitude. He is our ever-present Friend who is with us always.

Having said all that, there is still that looming question in the back of our minds, right? “How do I know God’s will for my life? And, yes, it is an important question. I am not suggesting that we should take it lightly. But I agree with Blackaby: ask the right question first, and the second will most likely make itself pretty clear. As we begin obediently doing what we know to be His will for all believers, then His will for us as individuals will make itself known as we obediently serve Him.

Blessings!