Discovering God's Will (Part 2)

Last time I shared that discovering God's will happens along providential, moral and personal lines. Jesus both taught and modeled that the more familiar you are with God's providential will (Matthew 6:10 "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"), and the more surrendered you are to His moral will (Jesus' obedience to His parents in Luke 2:41-52), the easier it will be to discover His personal will (see Mark 14:36) for your life.

We get to know the will of God practically through study and application of scripture, prayer, and solitude—spending time alone with God—and by listening to the wise counsel of other believers.

As we truly seek God's personal will for our lives, He often puts a burden or passion on our hearts. This “holy discontent” (not to be confused with an "unholy disgruntledness") gives us a level of unrest in our spirits and leads us to a personal conviction to do something about it.

As we move on that conviction we're led to dream or envision what could be—a mental picture of the future. Initially, this dream is somewhat cloudy and doesn’t include much detail. As we step out in faith, God begins to make the vision clearer. Often we discover that our gifts, abilities, and life experiences are brought together by God to accomplish the “vision” or “dream” that He has planned for us.

[Next week we will look at developing your personal vision.]