5 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
1 Corinthians 16:8-9 (CSB): “But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, because a wide door for effective ministry has opened for me—yet many oppose me.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
“Lord, what is your will for me?”
That is a question we have all asked. It occurs when we don’t know what to do and Heaven seems silent.
One way that many Christians have sought to understand God’s will for them is to look for “doors of opportunity.” If “God opens a door,” then many Christians assume that God has made His will clear. All that is left to do is to step through that door. Pretty simple, right?
On a side note, I remember attending a Dallas Holm concert in 1986. In his song, “Look for a Window,” he sang about the open door theology … with a twist.
Hot on the trail of God’s will, And getting warmer still
Got it together this time around, There’s nothing to stop you now
Stopped by the slam of a door, God, what’d You do that for
Sometimes we just don’t understand, How He wants to let us inWhen God closes a door, look for a window
Don’t stand at the door, there might be a window
When your pathway comes to an end
It’s time to begin to find a new road
Look for a window
There’s only one problem with looking for “open doors” and “open windows” to let us know what God’s will is for us. The problem is that it is not biblical. We are not told in Scripture that God reveals His will to us by opening doors and windows.
Yes, the verse I chose for today talks about an open door, and Paul was prepared to walk through it to engage in profitable ministry.
1 Corinthians 16:8-9 (CSB): “But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, because a wide door for effective ministry has opened for me—yet many oppose me.”
But in another letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, he credited the Lord with opening another door for ministry. Yet, Paul had a restlessness in his spirit and didn’t believe that walking through that door was the right thing to do. He did not walk through the door.
2 Corinthians 2:12-13 (CSB): “When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord opened a door for me, I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus. Instead, I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.”
So, how do we know God’s will for us? If you genuinely want to come to an understanding of what God’s Word says about how we can determine God’s will, I would encourage you to purchase and study two books. I consider both of the following books to be incredibly biblical. Yet, they take two somewhat different stances on how to know God’s will. So, read them both and come to your own biblical conviction.
First, I would encourage you to consider reading “Decision Making by the Book” by Haddon Robinson. The author begins by showing many of the erroneous ways that Christians have sought to know God’s will. Then he takes a stance that essentially says that God’s Word is the fence that determines what options we can consider and which we should rule out. Then, we are encouraged to do things like seek out godly counsel, use our common sense, consider the circumstances, and pray in order to make our decision.
Second, I would encourage you to consider reading “Hearing God’s Voice” by Henry and Richard Blackaby. The authors point out all of the various ways that God spoke to people in the Old and New Testaments. They propose that God has not changed and that He reserves the right to speak to us in some of those same ways should He so choose. The authors point to God’s Word as the “plumb line,” the perfect standard by which we must measure everything we think God is saying to us. They call the reader to spiritual maturity, submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit, instant and complete obedience when God speaks, and more.
Again, the two previous books take two different stances. It has been my experience that there are times when I determine God’s will by using the perspective that Haddon Robinson takes. At other times, I sense the Lord calling me to use the perspective that Henry and Richard Blackaby take. I have come to the conclusion that both approaches are helpful in different circumstances.
I hope this article and my thoughts prove helpful to you.
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you determine what the Bible says about how to know His will for your life, and not rely upon what the Christians around you say (they may be right, but they may be wrong).
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into how to know God’s will, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
“How can I know God’s will for my life?”
“How can I know when God is telling me to do something?”
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)
Matt’s Musings 