God’s Will Is Not a Mystery

Heading into college, I was terrified of choosing a major. I was scared to commit myself to one career. What if I didn’t choose the right one?

Three years later, I was terrified again — this time about marriage. What if my fiancé wasn’t really the right one?

Less than a year later, I was terrified once more — about a career choice. Should I plunge into full-time freelance writing or stick with a dependable job at a marketing company?

During these big life decisions, I wanted a concrete answer about what the right choice was. As someone who grew up in church, I regularly heard the phrase “God’s will for your life.” But it became one of those phrases you hear so often that you know how to use it, but you can’t really explain it. And I really, really needed a clear explanation.

How could I know what God’s will was?

I wrestled with this question repeatedly until I read an article that made a bold claim — that I didn’t need to do anything to uncover God’s will. I remember staring at the computer screen in disbelief. Nothing?

Curious, I began to investigate this idea further. What I found stunned me. As I studied Scripture and asked for God’s guidance in my decision-making, I realized that it wasn’t my responsibility to find God’s will (insert sigh of relief here). Rather, God would lovingly bring me to it.

Here’s what I learned: