God’s Will

 October 3, 2022

“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” —I Peter 2:9 

Yesterday in Sunday School, Roy recited a litany of Scriptures he prays every morning as he gets out of bed; verses that help him align his daily life with God’s purposes. Later that day, Linda shared with me a prayer she has been praying every morning, and I got to thinking, “I don’t have a particular prayer or Scripture that serves as a lodestone for my days. Then this morning, in the little devotional Linda and I have used for more than fifty years, this gem of Scripture jumped out at me. It looks like a good place to start.

There are a number of Scriptures that clearly lay out for us God’s will. This is one of them, as indicated by the little word “that.” God’s purpose for me today was that I proclaim his praises. Just a few verses later in 1 Peter, God’s will is stated even more clearly: 

“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men”

—I Peter 2:13-15

That one can be a bit harder to swallow at times, but there it is, clear as day. Then there are Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians:

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality…Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” —I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:16-18

When I was a teenager, I longed to know God’s will for my life. I thought of it in terms of what college to attend, who to marry, what career I was to pursue. No one bothered to tell me that God’s will had more to do with my inner life, with how I conduct myself before God and others than with decisions for which God has given freedom and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and the counsel of godly people. Today, without hesitation, I know God’s will. It is spelled out for me in Scriptures like those I read this morning. It doesn’t change from day to day, and isn’t subject to interpretation. For that, I am thankful tonight.