This is the question we frequently ask when faced with important decisions; yet, this may be the wrong question.
Christians sometimes think that to be obedient to God we need to first determine God’s plan for our future. Once that is determined, then we are to be obedient to that revealed future direction in our lives. We just don’t see that modeled in the Bible.
It may be helpful to first acknowledge that God is limitless, but we are not. There are limits to our knowledge and limits to what he has revealed to us even about his will. Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us, “The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.” Some things are hidden; yet, the revealed things of God belong to us. So, let’s first consider what has been revealed.
There are events and circumstances that, in his sovereignty, God decrees. What God decrees will come to pass and cannot be thwarted. Some call this God’s “decretive will.” God has decreed that Jesus will return someday. This cannot change; it must and will happen. Some of God’s decrees have been revealed, and we should plan our lives accordingly.
There are behaviors and circumstances that, in his sovereignty, God desires. Some call this his “preceptive” will, referring to his precepts, commandments, and laws.[1] God desires that his followers love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34). We may not always obey God’s command, but Scripture is clear that he desires that we love one another.
Yet, there may be parts of God’s will for us that have not been revealed. For example, we may need to choose a location on the mission field where we can serve. How do we choose between Africa and Asia when both are seemingly locations where God desires to send missionaries?
We need to learn to make wise decisions as we seek to live a life of obedience in accordance with what God’s Word tells us that he desires.
So, what question should we be asking? Maybe a question we should be asking is: “What are the usual means through which God speaks to his people to help them make wise decisions without knowing the full picture of the future?” Whether you have a flight booked and a date circled on your calendar when you will launch into a new culture to share the gospel or you are struggling to determine if God is calling you to go, this question guides every decision we make as Christians.
God Speaks to Us by His Son
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. (Hebrews 1:1–2a)
First, God speaks to us through the Spirit of Christ living in us, so we must make decisions based on our union with Christ. We can study Jesus’ life and see that not only in word, but also in deed, his entire life was focused on carrying out his Father’s mission for him and for the world. We can see that “the Son of Man [had] no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). He lived a transient life, going from town to town, teaching, healing, and calling the most unlikely people to a new kingdom and commissioning them to ministry (Matthew 4:18–25).
As we learn more about Jesus himself, the knowledge that we are in Christ informs our life and actions (Hebrews 1). Have you really thought about that before? If we are in Christ, and Christ is in us, we need to be about the work that he is currently completing in the world. Our Savior’s last words on earth were a command to “go . . . and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19a). As we study various passages about Christ after his resurrection (Matthew 28:18–20, Luke 24:44–48, Acts 1:8, Matthew 16:18, Revelation 7:9), we see that Jesus is at work directing the proclamation and spread of the gospel and building his church. And he is doing all of that this very day through his people. Even after his ascension, he didn’t say to Saul, “Why are you persecuting my people?” Jesus said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4, emphasis mine), and then he gave Saul clear marching orders, and Saul was used by Jesus to build his church. If we are in Christ, and no longer live apart from Christ (Galatians 2:20), then our lives must be in alignment with what Christ was sent to accomplish: the proclamation of his glory among all nations (Luke 24:44–48).
God Speaks to Us Through His Word
Second, God speaks to us through his Word. We can learn what God desires when we meditate on his Word. Second Timothy 3:16–17 reminds us we have all we need to be complete and equipped for every good work God has prepared for us because of the inspired Word of God. This means that we make our life decisions based on how we can best obey God’s clear commands. When we don’t know what to do next, we strive to align our lives with what God’s Word tells us that he desires for our lives.
As I meditate on Scripture and strive to align my life with God’s commands, I can trust that the same God who ordered the steps of every disciple in history is also ordering my steps as I seek out his will.
Truth be told, when I have faced life-changing decisions, I have often hoped that God would send some clear sign in the sky to ensure that I am taking the right path. However, even without such signs, I can take comfort in the fact that James 1:5 promises wisdom for those who ask. As I meditate on Scripture and strive to align my life with God’s commands, I can trust that the same God who ordered the steps of every disciple in history is also ordering my steps as I seek out his will. To this point, John Piper notes:
[W]hen Paul told the Romans about his “ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named,” he never mentioned his dramatic experience. Instead, he quoted a verse of Scripture—Isaiah 52:15! “As it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand’” (Romans 15:20– 22 ESV).
Why? Evidently, Paul’s personal calling (not everyone is called to preach where Christ is not named) was confirmed and clarified by his meditation on Scripture.[2]
Remember that Paul did have a dramatic experience on the road to Damascus. Yet, it seems that his specific calling was clarified through meditation upon God’s Word. God’s Word may not specifically tell us whether we should serve in Africa or Asia, but it will guide and direct us (Psalm 119:105), and our job is to meditate on his Word, be obedient to his commands, and trust that he will care for us in the specific details of how our future unfolds—one step at a time.
God Speaks to Us as We Pray and Fast
Third, we seek the leading of the Holy Spirit through prayer and fasting. We are told that if we seek wisdom, God will grant it generously (James 1:5). We seek wisdom because we are not the ones who determine the future. Our responsibility is to pursue God’s preceptive will and use wisdom to guide us and help us discern. We know that if we call upon the Lord, he will answer us (Psalm 17:6). If we trust in the Lord and acknowledge him in all our ways, he will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5–6). In Acts 13, when the Holy Spirit spoke to the church in Antioch, he spoke to them while they were worshiping and fasting.
God Speaks to Us Through His Church
Fourth, God speaks to us through his church. When we are reconciled to Christ upon salvation, we are reconciled to his people (Ephesians 2). Because of our union with Christ, we have supernatural communion with God’s people. He has given us his church! Church leaders and church members are a gift to equip us for life and ministry (Ephesians 4:11). The church helps us discern and make wise decisions. Through counsel from our church, we can see more clearly what our next steps should be as we follow Christ by obeying his precepts.
In Scripture, when we see specific instances of God calling people to a specific work, it’s often in the context of God revealing his will corporately to the church. Look back at Acts 13. God told the church to set apart Saul and Barnabas (v. 2). He could have spoken to Saul as he had previously spoken to him on the road to Damascus when Saul was given a more general call.
But even on the road to Damascus, when God spoke to Saul, others were involved. Saul was traveling with a group when he had this experience, and God involved Ananias and others in the story. Likewise, when God called Saul to begin his missionary journeys, he spoke to him and others through the local church.
In addition to God speaking through the church in Antioch, it was the church in Antioch who sent Saul and Barnabas. The Holy Spirit called them, but the local church sent them. The example we see throughout the New Testament is that God’s people, in the power of the Holy Spirit, join in the work of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 13 we see the local church sending those whom the Holy Spirit has called. Today, though we have mission organizations that can be incredibly helpful, we must remember that they can never and should never replace the centrality of God’s design for the local church in mission.
Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from Before You Go (For Women): Wisdom from Ten Women Who Served Internationally, edited by Emily Bennett (Brentwood: B&H, 2023). Used with permission.
[1] R. C. Sproul, Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2014).
[2] John Piper, “May I Help You Discern Your Calling?,” Desiring God, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/may-i-help-you -discern-your-calling. Accessed January 10, 2023.
