Is God's Will Really That Hard to Find?

I remember a time very long ago when I heard a speaker at a church in New Hampshire talk about seeking God’s will. He said, “God is much more concerned about you finding His will than you are.” I can probably count on one hand direct quotes from speakers that I remember. I remember the gist of thousands of sermons, talks, graduation addresses, etc. But to remember specific sentences? Not that many.

At the time I heard this statement about God’s will I was at a crossroads in my life; desperate to know His will for me. I was about to graduate from high school, had applied and been accepted to a college, but still… The questions I had about the direction I should go were huge.

The summer after high school graduation I was invited to work at a Christian coffee shop in a near-by town that ministered to the youth of the village. (I’m from Vermont and yes, we refer to a gathering of houses as villages.) We had many very troubled kids come to us, many of them on drugs. It was an eye-opening experience for this goody-two-shoes Christian farm girl. As I worked with these very needy, hopeless kids, I thought perhaps God wanted me to continue this sort of ministry. As in right away. Skip college and jump right into working at Teen Challenge, a Christian organization that ministers to young people that have addiction problems. A very wise pastor talked this ill-equipped eighteen-year-old into dropping that plan and pursuing the college route.

Elizabeth Elliot said, “He [God] is far more interested in getting us where He wants us to be than we are in getting there. He does not discuss things with us. He leads us faithfully and plainly as we trust Him and simply do the next thing.”

So I did the next thing; I went to a small Christian college in the midwest, met my future husband and got a teaching degree. Looking back I can clearly see all the detours, twists and turns in the path God laid out for me. Many detours were caused by my own stupidity or my sinful, stubborn nature, but my God kept His hand on me and steered me continually down the path that He had planned for me.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

When we come to the place where we can truly accept that God is continually guiding us, then we can walk without anxiety. We can proceed in peace. I’ve known people who agonize over what God’s will is for their life, almost to the point of being angry at God that he’s not making it more clear. I have watched them go through their days, perplexed and frustrated, while at the same time they are violating some very clear Biblical commands. Love God, love others, rejoice, give thanks, trust.

I don’t want to trivialize the frustration we feel at not knowing what specific steps God wants us to take. I believe every child of God who wants to do God’s will has moments of total confusion; where we feel as if God has led us into a corner or to the precipice of a cliff. It is there that He longs to have us “be still” and know that He is God. Be still and wait. Be still and trust.

I have come to the place that I’m certain God will guide us down the exact path He has ordained for us if we will learn to walk in simple obedience to the commands clearly laid out in scripture. If we ignore those commands then God will take us down all the detours necessary to teach us His Way.

What are those simple commands? Love God and love others (Matthew 22, Mark 12, Luke 10, John 13). Abide in Him (John 15:4). “Rejoice always, pray continually” and “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16,17 and 18)

I think He made it pretty clear. Can you imagine the difference it would make in our lives if we truly obeyed those six simple commands? For some of us, it could turn our lives completely around. There are so many other commands and “suggestions” but almost without fail, they fall under the category of loving God and loving others. And don’t forget that becoming familiar with the Bible is absolutely essential in knowing God’s will.

I love what Elizabeth Elliot said about God not discussing His plans with us. We want Him to. But He calls us to keep on moving forward in simple trust and obedience. And God doesn’t make it difficult. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).