Faith based living

Can You Really Know God’s Will for Your Life?

September 2, 2019 /

We all want to know God’s will for our lives. Everyday we are faced with decisions, some small like what to make for breakfast, and some more important like what job to take, where to live, how to respect our spouse.

I desperately want to live a life pleasing to the Lord. When facing a big decision, I want to seek God’s way above my own. But I don’t always know what that looks like.

Choosing to follow God’s will is an act of submission, a step of obedience, but can we really know God’s will for our lives?

First, what does it mean to “know God’s will”?

At some point, most of us have looked to God and asked Him for some clue about what He wants for us.

I’ve prayed desperately for God to give me a hint about which direction to follow, which path to choose.

Why can’t God just give me a little hint???

I know I’ve been guilty of thinking that God has a carefully mapped out plan for my life that I need to discover and follow it.

If you’ve ever prayed for a sign which direction you should go in your life, you’re not alone. We all want to know which way on our path is God’s will.



But that isn’t how God really works.

God is omniscient. He knows everything that has happened, everything that is happening, what will happen, and every variant of what could happen.

But God doesn’t control us.

He gave us a beautiful free will to freely choose to love Him.

He knows every choice we will make, the consequences of those choices, and how those choices affect the choices of the people we encounter in our lives. Occasionally, He chooses to providentially intervene on our behalf. But we cannot know how often that really happens.

Did God really make all the lights green when I was late to church last week? Did He quiet the storm set to drop hail on my two day old roof? Maybe, maybe not. I certainly was praying for my roof!

It’s hard to know how much He supernaturally intervenes, but He knows every step we will take and how it will affect us. And He knows how everyone around us will act, too. He is a master weaver of stories and lives.

Yet, we’re not trying to discover some mystical, magical plan God has for us.

Especially, not if we expect it to look like a life of comfort and ease.

When God sent Ananias to Saul after his Damascus road experience, God made it clear that the path for his future would not be easy.

Acts 9:15-16 ESV / But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

The entire New Testament is filled with assurances that life won’t be easy as a follower of Christ.

But God does have a plan.

So how does this all work? Ah, the mental gymnastics are hard to explain.

God has a plan, but His plan incorporates all the choices we all freely make. We use the term providence to describe the ways that God uses human decisions and actions to accomplish His purposes. God sees the way millions of decisions can work together to reach His purpose.

What if I make the wrong choice?

You can’t mess up His plan. 

As a former prodigal daughter, I’ve spent a lot of time crying over the years I lost being sinful. I wasted a lot of time not truly walking with God.

I mourned those years fiercely, wondering what God could have done with my life had I fully surrendered sooner.


But I didn’t mess up God’s plan for me. I’m not that powerful.

In the depths of my grief over my sinful past, I was reminded that God’s plan for Moses involved being raised by Egyptians, killing someone, running away, and living in the desert for forty years. And THEN God used Moses to redeem Israel.

And God’s plan for redeeming the world came about despite Israel’s disobedience.

In fact, the way God led the Israelites out of Egypt with signs, wonders, and miracles paved a way for the world to see the mighty God who chose Israel as the nation through which the Messiah would come.

I didn't mess up God's plan for my life. I'm not that powerful. In fact, God often uses the parts we regret the most to reflect His glory. Click To Tweet

So many stories in the Bible show how God took situations and used them for good when all hope seemed to be lost.

So, we aren’t waiting to discover some secret mystical plan that God has for our lives at all.

Knowing God’s will means knowing what God wills.

We should be discovering who God is and striving to live as He would have us live according to His word.

That is where we find ourselves in His will.

Do I make pancakes or eggs for breakfast? Which is the healthier option? Which better meets your family’s needs? Or which makes the best use of your time?

If God knows the hairs on your head, He knows and cares about these tiny decisions, and if you live with a heart focused on serving Him, you will make the best decisions you can.

And God gave us Jesus and Grace for the times we chose poorly.

The job that sounded perfect, but was a disaster might be how God redirected you to another position, or could be a reminder to enjoy the blessing it is to stay home with your children for awhile.

He can even redeem the times we step outside His will in sin if we repent and surrender to Him.


But how do you know God’s will?

By spending time with Him.

If you want to know God’s will for your life, spend time in His word daily. Don’t just read the Bible to check it off your list. But seek His face in every verse.

  • What is this verse/passage about?
  • Who is speaking?
  • Notice the scriptural and historical context of the verse/passage.
  • What can I learn about the character of God from this verse/passage?
  • How can I apply this scripture to my life?

The more time you spend with Him in prayer and in the Bible, the more you will reflect His character, and the more you will know God’s will, because the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom and discernment.

2 Corinthians 3:18  ESV / And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Walking in His will isn’t magical. It takes time to build a deep relationship with the Lord that guides your every step, even imperfectly.

But I will tell you that living in His will, the more I come to understand it, and love it, is the most wonderful way to live. I can walk confidently knowing that I better understand God’s character and truly seek to love and to please Him with my life.

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17 Comments

  • Tina Truelove

    January 26, 2020 at 4:04 pm Reply

    Many people struggle to grasp the full concept of “free will.” I don’t believe it is ever God’s plan for us to sin, but He knows we will so He has set in motion a plan for redemption. He can and does take what is broken and makes it whole again. I think God does call certain people to do certain things big and small, but He gives us the free will to choose to obey or disobey. When we choose to obey, we receive His full blessing over those circumstances. When we disobey, there are consequences. This is where I think we can actually “mess up” to some degree, but when we do, we are the ones who miss out on the blessings we would have enjoyed otherwise. God’s ultimate plan is still in tact. I could go on and on and on about this. This topic can get a little complex and if we were in a group discussing it, I think there would be agreements and disagreements about how this works. Haha I think that if we learn to stop thinking that we are messing things up every time we make a decision and just let God use us where we are we can reap the benefits and blessings of living in obedience today which leads to a lifetime of obedience for all our tomorrows. It’s too bad it took me 50 years to realize this.

  • Melissa Hoyle

    October 10, 2019 at 11:35 pm Reply

    I am also a prodigal daughter…it’s interesting that I never grieved those lost years as so many others did. But, what I can tell you is that since I have lived on the other side and know what life is like trying to do it without Him, now I cling to Him for dear life! I am like one of those little kids that holds onto your leg and won’t let go…everywhere Jesus goes, there I am clinging to His leg!

    Our past is part of who we are…and God uses all those bad decisions and not so great things we did for HIS good! Embrace our pasts and our testimonies, share them with others and don’t try to cover them up. Because THEY show others who God really is!

    Take care and thank you for your wise words!

  • Katherine Pasour

    September 5, 2019 at 11:34 am Reply

    Like you, Jennifer, I’m a former prodigal (still struggling prodigal), that regrets those wasted years. But, God is faithful, even when we’re not, and He rescued me from the pit. I’m serving Him with all my heart, but sometimes still struggling with the path that is most in His will. Thank you for sharing this inspiration and wisdom. Much needed for me.

  • Patsy Burnette

    September 3, 2019 at 7:54 pm Reply

    Great points Jennifer! You are right. Spending time with God, listening to that still, small voice in prayer and meditation, reading His Word <— these are the best ways to know His will for our lives.

    Tweeted.

    Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!

  • J.D. Wininger

    September 3, 2019 at 4:32 pm Reply

    Well said Ms. Jennifer. Have you noticed how you can anticipate what those you are closest with are about to say and do? My wife often hands me something in the kitchen before asking for it. We, perhaps too often on my part, compete each others’ sentences and thoughts. That’s where grace comes into play at my house. 🙂 Such great advice ma’am; the closer your relationship with God, the easier it becomes to discern His truths and His voice.

  • Barbara Latta

    September 3, 2019 at 4:12 pm Reply

    Great post full of revelation. God does have a plan for us but it is up to us to follow that plan to bring about His will. Romans 12:1-2 tells us to become a living sacrifice and to renew our minds. Then we will know what is the good and perfect will of God.

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