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Knowing the Will of God

By Faithfulness, Peace, Priorities, Providence, Will of God No Comments

“Where should I go to college?”

Who should I marry?”

“Should I take the promotion?”

“How do I choose the right church?”

All of these questions are a variation of the most common question I’ve gotten over the years as a pastor. “How can I know God’s will for my life?” For many, nothing is more mysterious and elusive than discerning how God wants them to live. The consternation and confusion caused by this dilemma can be exhausting.

But what If I told you that it doesn’t have to be that difficult? What if I told you that you that the will of God is not nearly as complicated as we often make it? If you could have confidence that each of your decisions honored the Lord, would you be interested?

Thankfully, tucked away in Romans 12:2 is the wonderful statement that “you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” The key, though, is that we learn to think biblically and spiritually. The context of these words reveals two lessons about discerning the will of God.

First, God expects us to approach all of life with a posture of submission. In other words, when we understand all that Christ has done for us, we should gladly yield to whatever He chooses for our lives as it becomes apparent. Think of it as putting your “yes” on the table even before you know what God desires.

The Apostle Paul wrote, Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Rom. 12:1). The image of a living and holy sacrifice hearkens back to the Old Testament blood sacrifices offered by the nation of Israel. The idea here, though, is not that we should die for the Lord, but that we should die to ourselves each day as we seek to live in obedience.

According to the text, this is the only reasonable response when we understand the mercy of God (explained in the first 11 chapters of Romans) in our lives. God’s grace is never a license to live however we choose. Instead, His love and grace compel us to submit ourselves gladly to the will of God.

Second, we must learn to operate within the parameters of Scripture if we are serious about pleasing our Savior. Unfortunately, we often think very little about the will of God until we need to make a what we classify as a BIG decision. Things like where to live, whom to marry, what career to pursue, and so on usually drive us to consider seeking the Lord’s direction. We should not expect God to reveal new direction to us, however, if we are blatantly ignoring what He has already revealed in Scripture. If we refuse to obey what is already clear in God’s Word, why should we expect Him to guide us in new ways?

To help us, the Apostle Paul offers two guardrails (one negative, one positive): Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2a). Defensively, we should not conform to this world. The word “world” refers to a worldview that is dominated by Satan. Proving the will of God requires resisting the fallen way of thinking that plagues our culture. With so much homemade religion in the world today, there is tremendous pressure to approve what is blatantly contrary to Scripture and, frankly, common sense. Neither slick propaganda campaigns nor selfish emotional appeals will ever justify disobedience, though. If it contradicts Scripture, it is not the will of God.

Proactively, the renewal of our minds is what transforms us. Stated differently, the Holy Spirit changes us when we learn to think correctly. How is that possible? Again, the Bible provides the parameters for sound, godly thoughts and decisions. Refusing to fill our minds with filth prepares to us to read and understand the Scripture as God desires. When we resist sin daily and fill our minds with the Bible continually, the profound result is not that we find the will of God but that we prove the will of God. To use Paul’s language, we prove that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2b). The idea is that we are free to make spiritual decisions with confidence, knowing what will honor the Lord!

Let’s put it all together. If my driving ambition is to honor Jesus (present your bodies); If there is no unconfessed sin in my life (do not be conformed); and if my mind is sanctified with Scripture (the renewing of your mind), I am free to make decisions, big or small, with confidence that God is leading me. Discerning God’s will is not a mystical experience dependent upon signs from heaven before we can obey. Instead, the daily practice of submission to God coupled with the renewal of our minds through Scripture makes the will of God readily apparent.

Adam B. Dooley
April 4, 2025

Hurry Up and Wait!

By Patience, Priorities, Waiting No Comments

Since moving to Tennessee from Dallas, Texas, I always chuckle a bit when folks around Jackson complain about traffic problems. Admittedly, there are seasons when traffic is slower than usual around our little town, but it doesn’t compare to commutes of an hour or more. Recently, while waiting at what seemed like an eternal traffic light a simple question popped into my mind. Why do we hate waiting so much?

No sooner than I had the thought my mind was taken back to an occasion where waiting seemed especially agonizing. On that day, I paced the floor of our second-floor hospital room at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis. The now familiar, red-framed windows seemed more like prison bars preventing our escape than portals providing God’s gift of sunlight.

My 4-year-old son, early in his fight against leukemia, was anxious to get home to his mom and siblings. Though we lived in Alabama at the time, every week we boarded a plane for Tennessee to receive chemotherapy and a checkup. But this visit was different.

It had been months since my son was inpatient at the hospital, but a fever above 100.4 and low blood counts left him vulnerable to septic shock on this trip. In all likelihood, his symptoms were the result of a virus, but the possibility of an infection requires extra precautions when you’re fighting childhood cancer. What was typically a routine turnaround of 36 hours turned into a weeklong stay in the hospital, away from family and responsibilities back home. I am embarrassed to tell you how much I panicked throughout the ordeal.

It happened more than once.

We waited for appointments, for test results, for airplanes, and for a chance to do it all again the next week. For nearly three years, hurry up and wait was the name of the game. Waiting became routine; but it never became easy.

I should tell you that today my son is healthy and thriving. You would never know he once had cancer, and the lessons God taught us through all that waiting have continued to pay off again and again.

But to this day I wonder—Why is waiting so hard?

Perhaps I’ve met someone along the way who enjoys waiting, but I don’t recall it. Being in limbo tests our sanity and prolonged delays can even cause us to doubt God. No explanation is exhaustive because our motivations are often complicated. I do believe, however, that three realizations are often at the root of our impatience when life doesn’t go as planned.

Waiting shatters the myth that we are in control. Juggling schedules, meeting deadlines, and monitoring results gives us the impression that we are at the helm of our universe. Do you have a goal? Just work harder. Do you have a problem? Do something about it. Choose your destiny. Seize the day. Claim your reality. Mantras like these resonate with us precisely because we yearn to be in charge and are willing to play along. But deep down, we know it is all a lie. Nothing interrupts our fantasy like a prolonged sense of helplessness.

Waiting often unleashes our deepest fears. Where are You, God? What are You doing, God? Why won’t You answer me, God? Questions like these seldom accost us when everything unfolds according to our schedule. At the first sign that God is not at our beck and call, though, we are quick to question His wisdom and doubt His concern. Periods of vulnerability leave us unwanted time to think, and the silence uncomfortably shouts over the peace God bestows. Anxieties that are normally held in check sometimes wreak havoc on us while we wait.

Waiting reveals our true priorities. Most people would be insulted if you accused them of being slaves to their work. Neither are we anxious to admit that we are puppets guided by the hand of public perception and opinion. Nor do we fancy ourselves as materialistic or self-centered. Unfortunately, seasons of waiting often tell a different story.

Though interruptions force us to peel away all that is unnecessary in our lives, our hesitation to do so may reveal that we value the wrong things. When the world goes on while our hands are tied, we realize just how much we idolize the accolades and possessions we pretend not to seek. Despite our affirmations that God is trustworthy, and that sanctification is a priority, childish outbursts and temper tantrums uncover our true agenda.

Thankfully, neither I, nor you, are alone in our struggle to wait on the Lord. During a painful time of testing, King David once called out to the Lord with desperation in Psalm 4:

  • Answer me when I call, O God! (v1)
  • Be gracious to me! (v1)
  • Hear my prayer! (v1)

Then, with supernatural clarity, David realized that his wait would be worth it.

  • Tremble and do not sin. (v4)
  • Meditate in your heart . . . and be still. (v4)
  • Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. (v4)
  • Trust in the Lord. (v4)

Slowly, I am learning that the benefits of waiting on the Lord far exceed the inconveniences. With a loss of control, comes the peace of resting in our Savior (Psalm 26:3-4). The discomfort of facing our fears and enduring difficulties unleashes the strength of God in our lives (2 Cor. 12:9). Exposing misplaced priorities opens the door for renewed commitment to the Lord (Psalm 32:5).

I still hate waiting, but God continues to use the crucible of uncertainty in my life. I am confident He will do the same for you. He is eager to renew our strength, if only we are willing to wait upon Him (Isaiah 40:31). So, hurry up and wait! You’ll be glad you did.

Adam B. Dooley
February 6, 2025