» The Will of God as a Way of Life

Giving this blog the same title as a well-written book may seem unusual, but stick with me; I’ll explain.

The book I’m referring to, The Will of God as a Way of Life by Whitworth College professor Jerry Sittser, is one that we’d all do well to read, talk about, and apply to our lives. (Or, as Eugene Peterson points out in the Forward, to read twice, the second time more slowly.) The book is not a new one (it was first published in 2000), rather, it’s more like a sturdy companion ready for rediscovery by readers ready for a challenge. Its premise? That seeking out the will of God for our lives is much simpler than we make it out to be.

Popular convention teaches us otherwise—that the will of God consists of a specific pathway we should follow into the future, and that He knows what this pathway is and has laid it out for us to discover and live by. But here’s the problem: How do we figure out which of the many paths to choose? With myriad options available to us as believers, how do we really know what God wants?

Jerry Sittser answers this way: “The will of God consists of a life lived for God right now, right where we are. It’s not a set of ideal circumstances we imagine for ourselves. It is the godly course we set for our lives in the circumstances we face. We can start at any time. Once we turn to him, we receive grace and find ourselves in the center of his will, even if nothing in our current situation changes.”

I like that. And I love Jesus’ teaching on God’s will in Matthew 6:33–34, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We might have important decisions to make about family, vocation, church, or school, but Jesus only requires that we make sure our heart is good, our motives are pure, and our direction in life is pointing toward Him. The little things prepare us for the big things; viewed this way, God’s perspective is not so difficult to see.

And what about tomorrow? The Bible says little about God’s will for our earthly tomorrows and much more about our heavenly future and what we should do to fulfill his will today, even in the midst of routines, challenges, difficulty, and suffering. It warns us about anxiety and presumption concerning the future, assures us that God is in control, and commands us to do the will of God we already know in the present.

The book of James echoes this thought: Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:13–17).

These are good things to consider. We will never know how each day—much less the future—will turn out. But we can live each day for Him.

And what if we make the wrong decision? Somewhere along the line we probably will, but God promises to use even that for his good purposes. There is little to lose if we trust God; there is plenty to lose if we don’t. In all things we can trust him—the little and big, the past, present, and future.

This knowledge can give purpose and meaning to our daily lives. As I’m rereading The Will of God as a Way of Life (much slower this time), I’m getting an opportunity to practice biblical principles of God’s will as my way of living. The sound theology found in this book has a way of making the Bible, our Best Book, even more illuminating.