the hard question

There is a question that haunts many Christians. You hear people ask it all the time. You can hear it a lot when students are about to graduate from high school, from college, or even middle-aged. The question is: what is God’s will for my life? This question seems to haunt believers because we just don’t want to mess it up. I think many of us feel like that if we don’t get it right then we will never live in the true calling that God has set for us. We treat it like this great mystery that God is hiding from us and wants us to have to work for in order to get it “right.” While God may have some specific roles He would love to see us excel at and use for His glory and advancing His kingdom, He is also very much specific in answering the loaded question for us.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul, Silas, and Timothy tell the church at Thessalonica the answer to this life-altering question,

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s
will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

I mean, that sounds pretty straightforward to me.

Always be joyful. This does not say that God’s will is to always be happy. Happiness is based on our circumstances. Joy is a state of being. Paul was writing this to many Christians who were presently being persecuted. There wasn’t a lot to be happy about in those situations. However, they could continue to have joy. Being joyful when our circumstances are not pleasant goes against our natural inclinations. But being joyful through hard circumstances also allows an amazing witness to the gospel for others to see. Joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus and if we want to know what God’s will is, it is to be close to Him and exhibit His attributes even when it doesn’t make sense.

Never stop praying. We cannot be on our knees 24/7, but we can be in a prayerful state at all times. This attitude again is built on a close relationship with Christ and showing that our dependence is built on Him in every circumstance. Our prayerful attitude will also lead to greater obedience to Christ in our decisions. No matter what we are facing or how long we have waited, we should never stop praying.

Be thankful in all circumstances. Paul wasn’t stating that we should be thankful for all the bad things we would have to experience, but rather to be thankful in Him. Even when circumstances do not happen the way that we think they should or feel negative, we can still be thankful that we have Christ walking beside us through all those things. We can be thankful to know that God will work good in all circumstances. Learning to give thanks in everything again shows that complete dependence on God and aligning our desires with His desires.

I love when a question is answered with clear and measurable steps. What is God’s will for our lives? Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances. When we can do these things then it will show the closeness in our relationship with Christ and will show His love to the unbelievers around us.

This blog was written by Amy Carrico: Author of Making Moments Matter Blog

Last Updated on October 21, 2024