In my forthcoming book, “Gospel-Centered Mentoring,” (and in this post and video) I address the somewhat sticky topic of God’s will. I write:
Many Christian mentors believe their job is to help mentees listen for the Holy Spirit’s unique vision, or destiny, for their lives—as if the Holy Spirit has a secret will that mentees must discover, lest their existence be less than meaningful. But what if they never truly discover that vision? What if they choose a calling that God did not destine them for? Will God bless that calling, also? Are they sinning? And how can they ever be sure that they are in the correct calling—aside from subjective assessments? That can be a heavy burden to dump on consciences, as if Christians cannot be fully obedient until they figure out God’s secret will for their lives.
So, what is God’s will for us? His primary will for us is described in 1 Timothy 2:4: “[God our Savior] wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” More than anything else for us—our health, security, or productivity on earth—God wants us to be His children through faith in Jesus. This is his will for our salvation. Additionally, Jesus revealed his will succinctly in the Great Commandments (Matthew 22:35-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). This is his will for our sanctification: Love God, love each other, and love the world. Everything he would want us to do is neatly summed up there.
In “Today’s Light Bible,” Jane Fryer speaks so wisely about this topic, writing:
Think of the last time you had to make a tough decision. Maybe you had a job offer. Perhaps you needed to deal with wrong attitudes shown by your child. “What is God’s will in this situation?” you asked yourself.
Some Christians agonize over knowing and doing the will of God because they believe that He has only one perfect plan for their lives. They think that by making one wrong decision, they can end up in the backwaters of God’s will from then on.
Christians like that have an earnest desire to please God. They believe God’s “plan” will bring them ultimate fulfillment. Far better for us, though, to seek God’s purpose for our lives, rather than His plan. You see, the specific circumstances of life matter far less than God’s will for our transformation into the image of His Son.
We can ask, “Should I live in Taiwan or Texas? Should I scold or assign extra chores to my son?” But if we’re growing in wisdom, we’ll ask instead, “How can I, in this situation, reflect Jesus’ wisdom, His compassion, His anger at sin, and His grace toward sinners?” These are the questions that matter most in life. The rest are merely details. We can, in Christian freedom, make those choices as we like, without fear. (Fryar, Jane. Today’s Light Devotional Bible (p. 2621). Concordia Publishing. Kindle Edition.)
Amen!
None of this implies that God never moves us in a certain direction through circumstances and nudging by His Word. But, in general, He gives us freedom and wisdom to work within His generous boundaries to represent His unfailing love to a failing world.
As you work with your mentees, help them see the freedom and embrace the joy that comes from knowing that God is with them and for them wherever they go under his gracious reign.