Knowing God’s Will

Knowing God’s Will

Bible: Ephesians 5:17-21

You will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (ROMANS 12:2) .

Reading

Is it possible to know what God wants us to do? A friend of mine, who was trying to make a big decision, said in frustration: “Nobody knows what God’s will is .” Is he right? Does being unsure about the future mean we can’t know anything about what God wants?

Often, when we talk about what God wants us to do, we mean for right here, right now . Whatever problem or issue we’re going through, we want to know exactly how we should handle it! While this can be part of knowing God’s will, we shouldn’t limit it to just this .

For example, it is God’s will for us to show Jesus’ love, no matter what, as an example to anyone who still doesn’t know Him (1 PET. 2:15) . He also wants us to give Him thanks all the time (1 THESS. 5:18), to live God-centred lives (1 THESS. 4:3), to let the Holy Spirit lead us (EPH. 5:18), to sing to Him (V.19) and to put other Christians first (V.21) .

As we obey God in these and other areas, we are more likely to live in what Romans 12:2 calls God’s “good, pleasing and perfect will” .

Knowing God’s will for the future, or in specific situations, comes from knowing His will generally: that we love Him and the people He has made .

Thinking it Over

Are there decisions you have to make where you want God to tell you what to do? How do Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34 help show you what God thinks is important?

IF WE SPEND TIME GETTING TO KNOW GOD EVERY DAY, WE’LL START TO UNDERSTAND HIS WAYS MUCH BETTER

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries