If a person believes in God, one of the most inevitable questions for him or her is: “What is God’s will for my life?” It’s an important one too. If God made you, then you should naturally consider what he wants for your life.
When people ask for God’s will, they seem to want details more than direction.
It never suffices for God to give a next step, we desire to see the entire map. We honestly want God to lay out a detailed plan of what our life will be like and help us see every significant milestone regarding where we live, what we will be doing, and with whom we will be doing it.
But God doesn’t handle us like that. One of the greatest sources of direction for me comes from a very simple verse of Scripture:
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path [Ps. 119:105].
If you are looking for God’s will, you can find it, but it will come at you in a way you may not expect. God’s will rarely comes in a cloud-breaking, sunbeam spelling type of way. It comes more concretely than what circumstances can provide. It isn’t judging circumstantial clues that require nervous interpretation. It comes through revelation.
- You find God’s will in God’s Word.
- God’s Word is a lamp to your feet but not a layout to your future.
God’s will always corresponds with God’s Word. And what does God’s Word give? The next step. It is a lamp to your feet. It is a light to your path. It is not a flood lamp for the entire journey.
God’s Word is a lamp to your feet but not a layout to your future.
The Dark and Dangerous Journey
Just imagine that you have a journey to take at nighttime and the terrain is very dangerous. All you have is a simple flashlight. While it can illuminate somewhat in the distance, it shines the brightest to what is closest. The further it goes, the dimmer it gets. So you take the flashlight down to your feet and things get very clear. If you take a step to the left, you fall into a hole. If you take a step to the right, you step into water. The lamp to your feet makes it very clear – keep moving forward.
Now you are at a different place, and your light allows you to see this step of the journey more clearly than you could previously. Now you can see that the path veers to the right and your flashlight allows you to see that. Every step of the journey, you keep allowing that light to be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.
That’s what God’s Word is supposed to be for you. It keeps you dependent upon the Word of God for every step of the journey and disallowing you to see the entire path in one glance.
Why the Details Are Dangerous
Why does God do that? Why not make it more simple?
If the LORD showed me the whole path clearly, I would cease to seek him diligently.
And that pursuit is part of the journey. The glorious nature of the adventure is directly proportional to the precious proximity to the journey’s Guide. When you only have a direction and unaware of the details, you pray more, study Scripture more, think more, and seek counsel more. You are desperate for the presence of God and the direction of God on a daily basis. And that’s where we need to stay!
If we had the entire map, we would thank him for the information and yet move on our ways to fulfill his plan while neglecting him in the process.
If you are looking for God’s will, it is available. But it comes in simple steps of obedience explained in Scripture that keeps you dependent upon the Guide every step of the way. And as a weary traveler, I have come to realize that I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
