God’s will can be simply understood. Still, there is a bit of mystery in it.
Life is full of questions, but few carry the weight of this one: What is God’s will for my life? It’s a question asked in hospital rooms, college dorms, corporate boardrooms, and quiet moments of reflection. Yet for all its importance, God’s will often feels like an enigma wrapped in mystery—something just out of reach, shrouded in uncertainty.
Let’s begin with a confession: this book does not promise easy answers. God’s will isn’t a formula you can master or a checklist you can complete. If you’ve come searching for a shortcut, you might be disappointed. But if you’re willing to sit with the tension and explore what the Bible really says, you’ll discover that God’s will, while profound and often complex, is also simpler than we make it. There is a reason Chuck Swindoll titled his book, The Mystery of God’s Will. Here is a quote from the first chapter:
The longer I live, the more I believe that one of the most profound subjects in the Christian life is the will of God. The deeper we dig into it, the more we realize how little we know. When we stop and think deeply about the way He leads us along, we must conclude that it is one of the most mysterious subjects in the spiritual life. Yet I’ve observed that we use words like “It’s the will of God” or “We hope God will have His will and way in this” rather glibly.
Someone has said that getting an education is going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of our own ignorance. When we do a serious study of the will of God, we go from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of how mysteriously He leads us along. Perhaps this explains why our walk with our Lord is often inconsistent and why it is sometimes more of a struggle than a relief. Let’s face it: Much of His plan simply doesn’t make sense . . . not to us.[1]
The Tension of Mystery and Revelation
One reason God’s will feels so mysterious is that it operates on two levels: the revealed and the hidden. Deuteronomy 29:29 captures this dynamic beautifully: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”
There are aspects of God’s will we’re not meant to understand. These are His “secret things,” the plans and purposes that stretch beyond our comprehension. Why does He allow suffering? Why do some prayers seem unanswered? Why does one path open while another closes? These are questions we wrestle with, but they’re often wrapped in divine mystery.
At the same time, God’s will is not entirely hidden. He has revealed much of it to us through Scripture, the life of Jesus, and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We’re not left to wander aimlessly, groping in the dark. The challenge is learning to distinguish between what God has revealed and what He’s chosen to keep hidden. Swindoll wrote:
We love the comfortable. We love something we can control—something we can get our arms around. Yet the closer we walk with the Lord, the less control we have over our own lives, and the more we must abandon to Him. To give Him our wills and to align our wills to His will requires the abandonment of what we prefer, what we want or what we would choose.[2]
Clearing Away the Clutter
If God’s will is so important, why do we struggle to discern it? Part of the problem is that we’ve cluttered the concept with unhelpful assumptions and simplistic answers.
For example, some treat God’s will like a tightrope: one wrong step, and you’ve fallen out of His plan. Others see it as a treasure hunt, where God’s will is hidden, and only the cleverest or most spiritual can find it. Then there are those who reduce God’s will to circumstances: if the door is open, it must be God’s will; if it’s closed, it’s not.
These approaches miss the mark because they oversimplify the complexity of God’s guidance. God is not playing hide-and-seek with His will, nor is He waiting to punish us for missing a step. Instead, He invites us into a relationship where His will is revealed gradually, like the unfolding of a story. Kevin DeYoung explains:
The “will of God” is one of the most confusing phrases in the Christian vocabulary. Sometimes we speak of all things happening according to God’s will. Other times we talk about being obedient and doing the will of God. And still other times we talk about finding the will of God. The confusion is due to our using the phrase “the will of God” in at least three different ways, typified in the previous three sentences. Two of these ways are clearly demonstrated in Scripture; the third is a little more complicated. So we’ll start with the first two.[3]
The Biblical Framework
To understand God’s will, we need to ground ourselves in Scripture. The Bible speaks of God’s will in three broad categories:
God’s Sovereign Will
This is God’s ultimate plan for creation—His purposes that cannot be thwarted. Isaiah 46:10 says, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” God’s sovereign will includes events like the coming of Christ, the establishment of His kingdom, and the eventual renewal of all things.
God’s Moral Will
This is the part of God’s will revealed in Scripture. It includes His commands and principles for how we should live. For example, 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.” God’s moral will is clear, even when His sovereign will remains hidden.
God’s Personal Will
This is where most of our questions lie: What job should I take? Who should I marry? Where should I live? While the Bible doesn’t give us detailed answers to these questions, it provides principles and wisdom to guide us in making decisions.
The Role of Relationship
At its core, discerning God’s will is less about getting answers and more about growing in relationship with Him. Think about it: when you truly know someone, you begin to understand their desires, values, and priorities. The same is true with God. The more time you spend in His Word, in prayer, and in community with other believers, the more attuned you become to His will.
Jesus exemplifies this relational approach. In John 5:19, He says, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.” Jesus didn’t operate from a checklist or a set of rigid rules. He lived in constant communion with the Father, discerning His will moment by moment.
Trusting in the Mystery
Perhaps the hardest part of God’s will is accepting what we don’t understand. We want clarity, but God often gives us trust instead. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Trusting God’s will means surrendering the illusion of control. It means believing that even when life doesn’t make sense, God is still good, and His purposes are still being accomplished.
I’m not ready
Part of the mystery of God’s will is that we often feel ill-prepared for the work. This insight stands in contrast to what you often hear: God won’t give you anything you can’t handle. I have not found this to be true. I have found God will routinely give you things you can’t handle. John Ortberg says:
In the Bible, when God calls someone to do something, no one responds by saying, “I’m ready”:
- Moses: “I have never been eloquent . . . I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)
- Gideon: “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (Judges 6:15)
- Abraham: “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?” (Genesis 17:17)
- Jeremiah: “Alas, Sovereign LORD, . . . I am too young.” (Jeremiah 1:6)
- Isaiah: “Woe to me! . . . For I am a man of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6:5)
- Esther: “For any man or woman who approaches the king . . . without being summoned the king has but one law: . . . death.” (Esther 4:11)
- Rich Young Ruler: “He went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (Matthew 19:22)
- Ruth: “There was a famine in the land.” (Ruth 1:1)
- Saul (Samuel was going to anoint Saul king; they couldn’t find him and asked if he was present.): “And the LORD said, ‘Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.’” (1 Samuel 10:22)
Too inarticulate, too weak, too old, too young, too sinful, too dangerous, too rich, too poor, too much baggage —no one ever says, “Okay, Lord —I feel ready.” And God says to us what he has always said: “Ready or not . . .”
Feeling ready is highly overrated. God isn’t looking for readiness; he’s looking for obedience. When God brought the people of Israel into the Promised Land, he had them step into the Jordan first, then he parted the river. If they had waited for proof, they’d be standing on the banks still.[4]
A Simpler Approach
So, how do we make sense of God’s will without oversimplifying it? Here are a few guiding principles:
Start with Scripture
God’s moral will is revealed in the Bible. Before asking what job to take or where to live, ask whether your decisions align with His commands and principles.
Seek Wisdom
God often reveals His will through wise counsel, the circumstances of life, and the peace of the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
Stay in Step with the Spirit
Galatians 5:25 encourages us to “keep in step with the Spirit.” This means living in daily dependence on God, listening for His voice, and being willing to obey.
Rest in God’s Sovereignty
When faced with uncertainty, remember that God’s sovereign will is always at work. Even when we make mistakes or take detours, He is able to redeem and restore.
Conclusion
The mystery of God’s will isn’t a puzzle to solve; it’s an invitation to trust. While we may not always understand His plans, we can rest in His character. God is not a distant deity playing games with our lives. He is a loving Father who desires a relationship with His children. Charles Stanely explains:
I know God hears my prayers,” you may say, “but how do I know my requests are according to His will?”
That sentiment can do more to undermine our confidence in prayer than any other thought. If we knew God’s will to begin with, we reason, we would have no problem trusting God for the answer. Actually we know more about God’s will than we think.
It is God’s will to give thanks in all things (1 Thess. 5:18). Do you have a grateful heart no matter your circumstance? Giving thanks acknowledges His sovereignty and expresses a steadfast faith in Christ.
It is God’s will to walk in purity and holiness (1 Thess. 4:3). Do you walk on a thin edge of immorality, giving place to illegitimate thoughts? Don’t.
It is God’s will to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). The verb tense emphasizes such filling as a continuous action, stressing our complete dependence on the Spirit and our unceasing need for His help and guidance.
Prayer is precisely the place where we discover the will of God. We seek His mind, sift through His Word, and thank Him that God is faithfully at work in our lives.[5]
As we journey through this book, we’ll explore practical ways to discern God’s will, tackle common misconceptions, and learn to walk in faith even when the path ahead is unclear. But for now, let’s embrace the mystery—not as something to fear, but as an opportunity to deepen our trust in the One who holds all things together.
[1] Charles R. Swindoll, The Mystery of God’s Will: What Does He Want For Me? (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2001).
[2] Charles R. Swindoll, The Mystery of God’s Will: What Does He Want For Me? (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2001).
[3] Kevin L. DeYoung and Joshua Harris, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will or How to Make a Decision without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Etc. (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009).
[4] John Ortberg, What Is God’s Will for My Life? (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2016).
[5] Charles F. Stanley, Seeking His Face (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2002), 141.
