Forward Baptist Church, Toronto

What is God’s will for my life?  Have you ever asked that question?  It often comes up in times of upheaval, when we are faced with change or a significant choice that we must make.  When we don’t know what to do, we stop and wonder what God wants.  Sometimes God makes it quite clear what He wants.  He answers our questions with astonishing clarity.  Often though, He doesn’t.  

When this happens, it can become easy to get frustrated with God.  We want an answer, we feel lost, why isn’t God helping us?  When we feel like this, it’s important to take a step back and consider how we are viewing God.  Why are we really mad at Him?  Is it because we really want to follow God’s will, or is it because we don’t like not being in control?  Think of it this way:  when things are easy and normal, how much thought do you give to God’s will for your life?  My guess is that for most of us, the answer is “very little” or even “none”.  

The truth is, all of us like to feel like we have things under control.  We don’t like it when we don’t know what to do.  And when we are forced to stop and ask for God’s help, we are hoping for a quick answer so we can give Him a quick thank you and go on being self-reliant.  It’s nice to have God in reserve for when we need Him to show us His will. 

But that’s not how it works.  God doesn’t sit in a glass box with a sign that says “Break in case of emergency” on it.  God isn’t sitting around waiting for us to ask His opinion.  God’s will is at work in our lives every day, whether we think to ask Him about it or not.  

And guess what, the Bible tells us exactly what His will is for us. “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).  Sanctification is a process by which God makes us holy.  It means becoming more like Christ and less like we are naturally.  It means loving God more and hating our sin more.  It means learning to depend on Him rather than ourselves.  That’s God’s will for you: sanctification.  This doesn’t mean He doesn’t care who you marry or what career path you choose or where you live, or when you retire.  It means that in every situation He will be at work to make you more holy.  It also means that when you are desperate for an answer and God doesn’t give you one, it’s probably because His will is that you learn to depend on Him more by waiting and praying.  

If you find that frustrating, you’re not alone; I find it frustrating too.  But that just proves how much we don’t like relying on God and how much we need to grow - to be sanctified.  So while it’s frustrating, at a deeper level it’s extremely comforting.  Our God is wise and loving.  He doesn’t always give us what we want because He knows how much more important our sanctification is.