Over the last couple of meetings, the subject of knowing God's will for our lives has come up, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly. A few of us have poked at this subject with sharp sticks in the discussion times, but I figured it might be worth posting some ideas in the hopes that someone might find it a helpful reference. (If it's not helpful, don't tell me. I am going to assume that this post is dramatically changing the life of everyone who reads it! Because I am that awesome a dude.)

I think every Christian has struggled at some point in their lives with knowing what God's will for them is. We make some big decisions in our lives -- what school to go to, what job to take, what person to date or marry, what city to live in, which church to go to, which shoes go best with this outfit -- and we understandably want God to tell us what to do.

Here's my thing: I believe God can be very frustrating, but I don't believe He plays games with us. At least, not in the way we think He does. So sometimes His silence is not a way of telling us to keep worrying and waiting but is a way of saying, "For goodness' sake, I gave you a brain; make a decision."

My litmus tests for making big decisions goes something like this: 1) Is one of these options a sin? 2) Do I have a clear call from God not to choose this option? 3) If the answer to both of those questions is "No," and options appear equal, it certainly behooves us to pray for peace and direction, but after a while, ask yourself what you are waiting for. If it is a visible, tangible sign from God, He does deal in those sometimes, but not too often.

God did not give you a brain and a body around it so you could wait on a clear sign from Him before picking your nose or choosing a breakfast cereal. Sometimes we have to make difficult, ambiguous, or even risky decisions based purely on what we think is best. This is called trusting God. I know, crazy concept, huh?

I don't mean to sound condescending. I go through this agony too. I certainly wish God would hip me to His plans for me; it would make my life a lot less worrisome and painful. I don't know why He does it, but He just chooses not to work that way. See, if God always told you what to do and where to go and all that, you wouldn't need to have faith. So sometimes making a difficult decision without a clear "okay" from God is not a sign you are not "in God's will," but a sign you are trusting God no matter what comes of your decision. It's not a guarantee that your decision will result in peace and success, but it is a guarantee that God will be with you in your trouble and mistakes.

No, we don't always get the word on what specifically to do in our individual lives. But God has been really clear on what His will for you is. The Great Commandment. The Great Commission. The instructions in all of the epistles.
It seem fairly clear to me that the Bible is fairly clear on what we must do. It doesn't tell me if I should be a stay-at-home dad or not, but it does tell me how I should act and live in that scenario.

The Bible does not always tell us how to pick which circumstances we will find ourselves in; but it does tell us how to live whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

That doesn't necessarily take the pressure off. But it does put the pressure on the stuff that needs it. Too many are in agony over what God's will for their life is, and that's largely the church's fault for not teaching the freedom from the guilt of just living life. It is just not true that God is at one college but not another or in one job but not another, provided we're not talking about the University of Satanic Arts or Joe's Cabaret (see the litmus test). God is omnipresent, and Jesus Christ is alive inside you. So wherever you go, He goes. There's a dangerous, radical freedom in that truth that is a good and exciting kind of risk.

And since God knows what you're going to do and where you're going to go tomorrow, you've got zero chance of surprising Him. Take some comfort in that, even if you find yourself scewing up royally. ;-)