This morning we want to ask the question "How can I know God's will for me in a particular situation?"  Sometimes there are situations in life when we do not know the direction to go and we have a desire to trust God but we need His direct leading to make a particular decision.  The options facing us both seem like good ones - either one could help us become more like Christ.  We really don't know which path to choose and we want to follow God's will.

So the question this morning is how can I know God's will in a particular situation? Now, before we open our Bibles and read this morning's text, let me give you two foundational principles that relate to this question.  

The first is - God's will for us is revealed in Scripture.  Paul writes to Timothy saying:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16) (NIV)

God's Word is a gift that makes God's will for us plain.  Sometimes we fret and worry about God's will when all the time it is revealed to us in Scripture.  

The Bible is sometimes very specific about what God expects of us.  Take Exodus 20 for instance.  There we learn that we are not to give first priority to any other God in our lives (Exodus 20:3).  We discover that we are not to make an idol in the form of anything and worship it (Exodus 20:4).  We are not to misuse his name (Exodus 20:7).  We are to take a day of rest and keep it holy that is separate from the other days, in that we think on God and thoroughly enjoy His presence (Exodus 20:8).  It is God's will for you that you honour your father and mother; that we do not murder, steal, commit adultery, or lie or desire what someone else has (Exodus 20:12-17).  

All of that is God's will for your life.  All through Scripture there are some very specific plans - the truth is, Scripture is our basic guide for life and as we read it, we discover God's will for daily living.  It is a compendium of principles, precepts, prohibitions and promises and is therefore our most important point of reference.  

God's will is made plain to us in Scripture.  And the guidance you receive through other means, which we will discover in a moment, should never depart from the precepts we find in God's word.  Where Scripture speaks clearly, we don't need any other guidance.  It is to be the reference point, the guide upon which we are to base our decisions.  

The second foundational principle is this - When seeking God's will for your life, pay attention to duty and common sense.  

If your neighbour is sick then it is clear what God's will is for you in that situation.  What is your duty as a Christian? It is to go visit, send a card - do something to express God's love to them.  If your friend does not know Christ - it is very clear what God's will for you is in that situation - it is simply doing your duty - you need to model faith in Christ and share the love of Christ with him or her.  

Erwin Lutzer, pastor at Moody Church in Chicago, tells of a missionary who used to pray for special guidance about the most trivial matters.  She would even try to decide whether it was God's will that she wash her hair on a given evening.  Lutzer writes, "She was right in understanding that God is interested in the mundane affairs of life, but she was wrong in believing that she always needed a special sign.  Obviously she became a mental wreck.  She did not realize that the will of God is sometimes simply living in obedience to whatever lies ahead.  His guidance is not mysterious all the time."  In short, if your hair is dirty and needs washing, wash it.  

So pay attention to duty and common sense.  

So, having two principles as a foundation, we realize that sometimes Scripture does not speak to our particular situation, and while our duty may be clear, just how God wants us to carry out that duty is foggy.  There are times when we need to seek God's specific will for us.  And there are times when God does give us special signs He wants us to follow.  Sometimes the way He wants us to go is very specific.  

For instance, it may become apparent that it is God's will for you to volunteer for the mission field or it may be made clear that it is God's will for you to go to Seminary.  Perhaps you receive a call from God to be a Sunday School teacher or perhaps it becomes apparent to you that it is God's will for you to be a deacon or to serve in some capacity in the church.  

Whatever it is - it may be as large as a life direction or as seemingly small as a visit with a neighbour - whatever it is there are times when God reveals his specific plan for us as individuals.  And so the question: "How can I know God's specific will in my life?"

We can learn from an example given to us in Acts 13:1-5.  

"Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul.  While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."  Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.  So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus.  When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also to assist them." (Acts 13:1-5) (NRSV)

How can I know God's will for me particular situation?  

For the church in Antioch - it was made plain to them that they should set apart Saul and Barnabas for the work to which God had called them.  It was very specific.  

There are some answers here, then, to the question "How can I know God's specific will in my life?"  There are several precepts that our text gives us in response to that question.  

The first answer is quite simple - we must be looking for it.  There must be a desire within us to know God's will for our lives and a conscious effort to seek God's guidance.  

Note verse 2 of our text.  "While the church in Antioch was worshipping the Lord and fasting the Holy Spirit said..."  It was while the church was actively glorifying God in the act of worship and self-denial that the Holy Spirit reveals God's will for them.  There is a conscious effort to submit themselves to God and seek His guidance.  And so it must be with us, we must be actively seeking God's will in our lives.  

Practically speaking this means two things. Firstly, it means that we cannot be coming to God seeking for Him to bless plans that we have already made.   In the landscape business we would have people who would come asking the designers to design a plan for their backyard but in the process we would discover that they already had made the plan themselves.  What they really wanted was someone to okay what they'd already done! They were seeking consent, not guidance and direction.  

To be sure, God does guide us by creating desires in our hearts.   We read that "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13) (NIV)  But because of our natural tendency to be biased in favour of our own view, we must walk carefully here.  

It has been said that God has been blamed for the most outlandish things by people who have confused their own inverted pride with God's will.¹ So it follows that we must be willing to allow God to veto our plans if they are not in accordance to His will.  So many people say that they want God's will to be done in their lives but let God's will contradict their will - and they want nothing of it.  

Here's the second precept from our text today. It is when we are in prayer that God reveals his will to us.  When seeking God's guidance we often look for a pillar of cloud or a burning bush - we sometimes look for the spectacular.  I don't think it is wise to seek such phenomenon.  Scripture shows that angelic visitations, a guiding star, a fiery bush were given when they weren't asked for.  They were given at the discretion of God's divine wisdom.  

But listen carefully - God leads and directs most often when we are on our knees in prayer.  The church in Antioch was in an attitude of prayer - worshipping and fasting when the Holy Spirit reveals God's will for them.  

Listen - this is key.  It is when we are in God's presence that He will give us His perspective and guidance.  It is when we are in prayer that the Spirit will guide us to the appropriate passages of Scripture and get His message through to us.  

This means that we have to change our thinking about prayer.   You may have heard it said that prayer is simply talking to God – which is good, it's true.  But prayer is not only talking to God - it is also listening to God.  

When we are seeking God's guidance about some matter, we should talk to God - we need to spell it out in detail and lay before Him our feelings and desires.  But then we must give Him the opportunity to speak to us.  

Here is the third concept.  God uses two agents to express and confirm his specific calling in our lives: the Holy Spirit and the Church.  

The Holy Spirit was present at the worship service in Antioch.  He was a very real presence in that church and He expressed God's will to the people there.  And so it is with us.  Jesus said, "When the Holy Spirit comes he will guide you into all truth.  (John 16:13) (NIV).  

And in Ephesians 5:15-18 we see a very clear link between knowing God's will and being filled with the Spirit.  It is clear that being filled with the Spirit enables us to know God's will.  

But God also uses the church to express and confirm His will.  There is a very clear partnership here in our text.  Verse 3 says, "they (that is the church) place their hands on them and sent them off." Verse 4 reads "the two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit went down to Selecta."  Do you see the partnership? The Holy Spirit initiates the call and spurs the church to act on it and they act as His agents.  

My friends, do not belittle the church of God.  Do not think little of the fellow Christians who are sitting next to you in the pews, because they may be the very instruments that God uses to reveal His will for you.  It is through the church, as they submit to the Holy Spirit, that God's will is made plain to His people.  

We see this principle at work throughout the book of Acts.  The Holy Spirit instructs His people and they faithfully proclaim the word they have been given (see Acts 11) OR they AFFIRM the people He has chosen (as in our text) OR they give the DIRECTION that He has revealed (See Acts 15).  All through Scripture there is a partnership that exists between the church and the Holy Spirit.  

So practically speaking, what does this mean? It means that when we are seeking God's will in our lives we need to be in fellowship with other Christians through whom the Holy Spirit speaks.  That's the genius of small groups, Sunday School classes, Bible Study groups - it gives each one of us an opportunity to share and hear what God has to say to us through His church.  God loves the church, and it is often through is people that He speaks to us.  

It also means that we in the church need to take this partnership seriously.  We need to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit but not only that – we must be willing to give voice to what the Holy Spirit is telling us to say or do what the Holy Spirit is telling us to do.  

And speaking practically for our young people, we need people filled with the Spirit to draw alongside young people and help them to discern what God's will is for their lives.  I believe the church has lost literally millions of preachers, teachers, servers and missionaries to the world because the church has failed to draw alongside young people and, with dependence upon prayer and the Holy Spirit, has failed to identify ministry gifts in our young people.  

When we are seeking God's will he will make it known through the Holy Spirit and the church - there is a partnership between those two agents.   The fourth principle here is this - If there is any doubt about the direction to take - wait.  .  

There is no sign of doubt in our example in Acts 13.  They received a clear direction from the Holy Spirit, but notice verse 3.  After they received this very clear direction they still prayed and fasted before they acted.  Both are actions expressing dependency upon God.  

The point is that if the church in Antioch prayed and fasted after receiving clear direction, how much more should those who are in doubt about God's direction wait upon God.  Someone has said that when you are seeking guidance, there are three words that are important.  The first is "Wait." The second is Wait" and the third is "Wait!" Don't allow anyone or any circumstance to pressure you into action when you're not sure.  Oswald Sanders has said, "We need to trust that although God is never in a hurry, He is never late.  His timing is perfect.²

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - January 2002

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Footnotes:

1.	Paul E. Little in a sermon, "Affirming the Will of God" Great sermons of the 20th Century", compiled by Peter F. Gunther. Christianity Today, Vol. 33, No. 14.
3.	J. Oswald Sanders Every Life Is a Plan of God(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Discovery House Publishers, 1960): p. 140.