Finding God's Will

Many well meaning Christians, including myself, have often searched for "God's will" in marriage, or college, or career choices, or moving or [insert important decision here]. Many times, when we make life altering choices, we search for God's will as if we were trying to decode a foreign language, and if we don't follow "God's will", if we make the wrong choice, we will be out of God's will and living in sin.

That's a lot of pressure. You are constantly living in fear of making the wrong choice, of living a miserable life because you married the wrong person, or are working at the wrong job, or moved to the wrong city.

But is that really how God works? Does He really play those kinds of games? I don't think so.

I read an article this morning on a blog called internetmonk.com, http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/god-isnt-gamey-my-new-hot-button.

The main thrust of the article is this:

"I can serve (God) either here or elsewhere. I can serve him anyplace. I can be faithful wherever. I’m free, within the boundaries of following Jesus, loving God, loving neighbor and using my gifts and talents, to serve God wherever I believe is the best place for me." There is a process, but I can trust myself as a reliable means of knowing God’s will. I don’t need a sign, or a vision or a voice. I may or may not get a nudge. It doesn’t matter. I don’t think God is hiding his will. I can go to school. I can sell programs at the ball park. I can write. I can teach. I can preach or be an associate. I can counsel. I can do a lot of things. And I don’t believe I have to torment myself or anyone else about that. When it seems right to me and my family, when I’m in a place to be responsible, obedient, submissive and faithful, I can love God and do as I please."

I think he is right on. Scripture is clear that we are free to choose whatever path we would like for our life (whom to marry, what sort of vocation), as long as we are not sinning against Christ or our fellow man. Period. Beyond that is just speculation and heresay. We cannot put words in God's mouth, and, more importantly, we cannot assume that "God requires some superior effort on my part to be mystical in order to communicate his will to me."

I'm often asked if I think that my first marriage was a mistake, or, more accurately, if it was a sin. I don't think it was, and here is why. The first prerequisite to marriage is that it is between a man and a woman (check!) and more specifically, that you both be Christians, willing to submit yourselves and your marriage to each other under the authority of Scripture (which we were). At that point, Scripture gives me freedom to marry whomever I wish, and under that freedom, I chose Brad. It never was an issue of not knowing or not obeying "God's will".

What made our marriage fail was choosing to love sin above Christ. Period. Not because our marriage wasn't "God's will". In fact, I will even be as bold to say that I am grateful, blessed, even, by my marriage to Brad. Because, in God's good providence, He chose Brad's adultery to REFINE me, and radically change my view of God, His nature, His faithfulness and His church. And what more is life than that- the refinement of our sinful thoughts and behaviors so that we can be made more in the image on the One who saved us.