A Conversation About God's Will

After the church service Luke, a young man in his twenties, waited patiently for everyone to leave so he could speak with Pastor Randy. “Pastor, can I ask you a question?” he asked nervously. “Sure, how can I help you?” Randy asked. “I've been dating a sweet girl for almost a year now. I really like her. I’d like to know if you could help me to figure out if it’s God's will for me to marry her,” Luke asked. “Why do you want to know?” Randy asked. Luke looked surprised.  “I guess I thought it was obvious. I want to know if I should marry her,” he said. “I kind of figured that,” Randy said. “That’s not what I meant.  What I mean is why do you want to know if it’s God's will?” Luke paused. “Isn't that what people who go to church are supposed to do?” he asked sheepishly. “Yes,” Randy said smiling. “it’s something we’re supposed to do. I’m just wondering if you know why we’re supposed to do it?” Randy asked. “I think it’s because the Bible tells us to do it, right?” Luke asked. “Yes, you’re right. Do you know where the Bible tells us to seek God's will?” Randy asked. “No, I don’t,” Luke said. “Actually you probably do,” Randy said. “Do you know the Lord’s Prayer?” “Sure, everyone knows it,” Luke said. “I thought so. In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ Matthew 6:10. One of the things everyone should be praying about is that we do God's will,” Randy said. [Tweet "Jesus wants us to know God's will so much He told us to pray about it every day! Matt. 6:10"] “I never thought of it that way before,” Luke said. “That leads me to another question, ‘Why does God want us to do His will?” Randy said. “Any thoughts, Luke?” “I’d say because God knows what’s best for us. Before you ask, no I don’t know a verse that says that either,” Luke said grinning. “Yes, because God knows what’s best for us. It’s okay that you don’t know a verse. That’s my job. A key verse is Romans 12:2 that says God's will is perfect,” Randy said. “I definitely want that for my life,” Luke said. [Tweet "God's will is always perfect for us Romans 12:2"] “I’m glad to hear it. There’s one more thing I want to share with you. God promises that when we seek His will, He will guide us,” Randy said. “I get it. And I actually know what verses teach that! Proverbs 3:5-6” Luke said. [Tweet "If you want God to guide you, acknowledge His roles in every part of your life Proverbs 3:5-6"] “That’s fantastic! Those verses do tell us that," Randy said. “So here are three important reasons for seeking God's will:

1. Jesus teaches us to pray for it.
2. God's will is always perfect for us.
3. As we seek God's will He directs us.

“Thanks, Pastor Randy. I understand why you asked and now I know why it’s important to know God's will for my life,” Luke said. “I’m glad to hear that. Why don’t you come by the church this week and we can talk about discerning God's will for who you marry?” Randy said. “I’ll do that,” Luke said. Join the discussion! Please leave a comment or question below.