What is God’s Will for my Life?
Understanding the Question
One of the most frequently asked questions asked by young people in the church is: what is God’s will for my life? This was the all-consuming question I struggled to answer as a young adult, and chances are, you have asked yourself the same question!
But what are we really asking? Do we truly understand the question?
In asking this question, we tend to mean: Where should I go to university? Which career should I choose? Who should I marry? Where should I live? etc. When we don’t find the answers to these questions, do we become disillusioned with God? Do we find His answers unsatisfactory? Confusing?
Part of the confusion is that God’s will has several aspects to it[1]. In fact, many scholars suggest that God has 2 different wills, perhaps 3, maybe even 4 different wills, and all mean something slightly different. In the New Testament, there are two different Greek words used to describe God’s will: boule and thelema, but in the English language, we wrap up all these words into one singular word: will. No wonder we get confused!
Learning the difference between these Greek words can help us ask the right question and gain clarity on what God wants for us.
GOD’S SOVEREIGN WILL
The word ‘sovereign’ means possessing ultimate power. When we are discussing God’s sovereign will, we are saying that God has ultimate power and control over the universe, and what He says He will do, He will do. No one and nothing will stand in the way of what God decrees. This idea is summed up in the Greek noun ‘boule’ which means having a careful plan with rational thinking and for an ultimate purpose. It is also known as God’s decretive will because when God makes a decree, He keeps His promise to fulfill it.
Paul uses boule in Acts 20:27 to describes God’s plan and purpose when he writes, “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will (boule) of God.” We know God’s plan for mankind as it’s revealed to us in Scripture, particularly in Revelations, but we often don’t know the details of God’s Sovereign will for us personally because it is generally hidden from us.
God may give us a glimpse of our future, an inkling, but most of what lies ahead is a secret only God knows. Yet these are the questions we tend to ask. When we are asking: What is God’s will for my life, we are asking God to let us peek into the future. Not only is this probably not going to happen, it may be asking for more than we can handle for we do not have the strength and resources to handle tomorrow’s challenges today.
“ When we are asking: What is God’s will for my life, we are asking God to let us peek into the future. ”
PRECEPTIVE WILL
God’s preceptive will is described by the Greek word, thelema, which means to make one’s wishes known; it is also translated to mean ‘pleasure’. God’s preceptive will is not a secret; in fact, He very much wants us to know it! If we want to know what pleases God and what God wishes, we simply need to open His Word. We find many verses in Scripture which answer this question, such as 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “It is God’s will (thelema) that you should be sanctified, that you should avoid sexual immorality.”
Throughout God’s Word, we see it is God’s will that we love each other, obey His commands, forgive each other, be generous to those in need, go and make disciples, and live holy lives. This pleases God and brings Him pleasure. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He offered these words, “Not my will (thelema) but God’s will (thelema) be done.” Not what brings me pleasure but what pleases God – this is God’s will for me.
When our focus is less on the future and God’s sovereign will for our lives, we can focus more on today: what brings pleasure to God today?
“When our focus is less on the future and God’s sovereign will for our lives, we can focus more on today: what brings pleasure to God today?”
If you’re a student, do your work diligently. If you’re married, care for your spouse kindly. If you’re a parent, love your children and teach them well. If you’re in the workplace, work faithfully and care for your coworkers. In all these ways, we are doing what He desires and accomplishing His will for us.
EFFECTIVE WILL
A third aspect of God’s will is His effective or dispositional will which reveals to us God’s heart. It is demonstrated by the Greek verb, boulomai and connected to the noun, boule. In 2 Peter 3:9, we read that “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness, He is patient with you, not wanting (boulomai) anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
It is God’s deepest desire for all mankind to come to know Him as their Lord and Saviour. Will this be the reality? Sadly, no. Because we live in a sinful world and are free to choose, not everyone will choose Christ. We see God’s heart for mankind most clearly in Genesis 1 and 2 where we catch a glimpse of what God intended for us before sin entered the world. We see God desired harmony between man and creation, unity between man and woman, and a pure, undefiled relationship between God and man. This was His will for us.
When we understand God’s original will for us as good and pleasant, we are able to trust that even in a world full of suffering, God’s heart for us remains good and pleasant for He has not changed. He desires that we live, not in slavery or in the barrenness of the desert, but in the Promised Land where we have all we need in Christ. He desires for us to flourish and thrive even in the middle of difficult circumstances. When we are suffering, we must never forget God’s effective will for our lives is to do good.
“When we understand God’s original will for us as good and pleasant, we are able to trust that even in a world full of suffering, God’s heart for us remains good and pleasant for He has not changed”
PERMISSIVE WILL
Even though God is sovereign, He does not decree that we love Him though He could. In fact, God gives us the freedom to make decisions - right or wrong - and allows us to decide if we want to love and obey Him. This is God’s permissive will. While we are free to operate in God’s permissive will, we cannot escape the consequences of our decisions. God allows us to choose whom we should marry, where we should live, and what career we should pursue. It’s entirely possible to make bad choices and suffer because of them. If that’s the case, we may need to repent and put our lives back in God’s hands where He can redeem even the worst of our failures. Even though we are left with the consequences, we can rest assured that nothing has separated us from God’s love and changed His sovereign will for our lives.
CONNECTING THE DOTS
Now that we have an overview of the different aspects of God’s will, it’s important to see how they function together.
God has a Sovereign Plan (will) for our lives which is often hidden and known only to Him. Our responsibility is to obey God’s Preceptive Will in our daily life. We have been granted God’s Permissible Will to choose if we want to obey God or not. When we choose to obey God, He guides us into our next steps. Life becomes a journey where we live daily for the glory of God, trusting He will open the doors which need to open while shutting the doors not designed for us. When we struggle to make a decision, we seek God’s peace and assurance through Scripture, prayer, and the counsel of wise friends. Then we move forward in faith and obedience.
We will likely never fully understand God’s sovereign plan for our lives until we reach heaven. While we might not see the full picture on this side of heaven, it’s important to remember when we are deep into suffering that God’s heart is for us. His Effective Will is not to harm us but to do good, and we can cling to His goodness and His promise to redeem our suffering. When we finally make it home, we will look back on all that we endured, all the pain and hardships, and we will finally understand how God used our lives for His glory.
And we will say, “It was good. Very good.”
[1] R.C. Spoul, “How Many Wills Does God Have?” in Pilgrims and Progress Regional Conference (Ligonier Ministries, 2015). How many wills does God have?
