How Can I Know What God Wants?

What does God want from me? How can I know His will? Is this the person God wants me to marry? Does God want me to take the job across the country?

What does God WANT???

Haven’t we all wondered about these kinds of questions as we try to navigate this journey we call life?

I know I have.

Multiple times.

Ad nauseam.

But the answers often feel elusive. Sometimes we are tempted to believe that God is just toying with us; dangling His will just out of reach…….teasing us with a glimpse of it only to jerk it back at the last minute and then laughing manically as we flounder in our decisions.

Well, that is not the God of the Bible. That is not the God I know. And so there must be some other explanation.

I have heard things that sound plausible:

“We don’t hear God’s will because we’re not listening for some reason or other.”

This makes sense to me as I know that I often go to God with my own ideas about what His will SHOULD be, and I can buy into the idea that this might hinder me from really knowing what He wants.

“We don’t know God’s will because He’s really okay with any of our decisions as long as He has our heart.”

Again, this makes sense to me. After all, God created this world with free will and He respects our right to make decisions. Perhaps God is just fine with any direction we go if our hearts are surrendered to Him. Maybe we fret too much over our choices as if there is only one answer God will be happy with. Perhaps He’s good with several, as long as they don’t violate His holiness.

“God doesn’t care what you do as long as He knows who you are.”

This is similar to the last one and I get it…..I really do.

But there is a part of me that just really wants some kind of tangible way to know what God wants of me. You know, some kind of secret formula or magic 8 ball that brings me peace and clarity.

Well, dear reader……you already know there is not magic formula. God cannot be put into a box like that. He reveals what He wants to when He wants to do it. That’s the benefit of being…..well…….GOD, I guess. 😊

However, I read a neat little book a long time ago called, “The Secret of Guidance” by FB Meyer, and he offers a principle that has really helped me over the years. I don’t know if Meyer originated it, repackaged it, or what…..but it has really helped me in my desire to discern God’s will for my life and in my decisions.

It is called the principle of the “Three Lights.”

It goes a little something like this: As we pray over specific decisions in our lives, if these three “lights” line up, there is a good chance we better pay attention, because God may be moving.

Note: Remember, we cannot put God in a box. We cannot control God with any kind of formula. This is not a guarantee that God is telling us something. BUT…….BUT, I say…….the principle has been extremely helpful and has proven to be pretty effective in my quest to know what God wants.

Here are the three lights:

1.      The Light Within (Inner witness): Basically, Meyer is talking about an inner drive towards a certain direction or decision. So, we ask ourselves questions like, “do I have peace about this?” “Am I feeling like God is pushing me towards something?” “Am I forcing this or do I have a peace when considering it?” Meyer would point us to the inner working and speaking of the Holy Spirit as we pray over God’s will.

2.     The Light of Scripture: Meyer would urge us to weigh any decision against the truth of scripture. As we consider the different directions we are faced with, we must ask things like, “is this consistent with God’s truth and character?” “Do any of these decisions violate what I know God says is true or right?”  If any of our choices violate God’s Word, then we know it cannot be God’s will.

3.     The Light of Circumstances: I like the phrase, “trending circumstances” and it basically means we need to pay attention to the waves of life. Are doors opening or are there barriers? Am I having to force my will onto a certain direction, or does it seem like God is driving that ship? Does the timing seem “uncanny” in a way that God’s hand might be the simplest explanation?

Even though this is not a magic 8 ball…….Meyer says that if all three of these “lights” line up, then we should really pay attention and bathe it in prayer. Because if all three are lining up, it could be a sign that God is moving, and we need to be ready to follow in faith.

I offer this to you, the reader, not as a GUAAAAAARAANNNNNNTEEEE (that was my best used car salesman voice) of knowing what God wants for you, but as a principle to weigh in prayer.

Because here is what I have learned……when God speaks, He wants us to listen. If God is leading, He wants us to follow. God is not playing games with us. He is not sneaky or coy. He isn’t offering us a peek at a card and then reshuffling the deck. The Lord WANTS us to be in His will.

So why do we find all of this so hard to figure out?

Allow me to throw out some possibilities.

First, we must question whether or not we are truly surrendered to what God wants. If we are seeking God’s will on the surface but underneath it all are really seeking OUR will…..well……that ain’t gonna fly. So, as we think about how we can know what God wants, we must first make sure that this is what we’re genuinely interested in.

Second, we often run ahead of God’s timing. When we are facing decisions, we want to make them NOW. And if God is not ready to lead us a certain way, then we can get easily frustrated and question whether God is speaking. Well, maybe we are demanding for God to speak earlier than He intends to. We’re not a very patient lot, are we?

Finally, we must really ask ourselves if we are prepared to obey. This connects to the idea of surrender above but it’s even more tangible….more specific. If God leads us to the choice He would have us make, are we prepared to take that step? If not…..why would God reveal it? I mean, don’t we think He knows whether we’ll obey or not?

So maybe the question isn’t, “Why won’t God show me exactly what He wants?” but rather, “Am I paying attention to the ways He already is?” The light within. The light of His Word. The light of the circumstances around me. When those begin to line up, maybe that’s not coincidence. Maybe that’s invitation. Not a guarantee, not a formula, but a quiet, steady nudge from a God who is not trying to hide His will from us, but reveal it in ways that require trust.

And when those lights begin to come together, maybe the next step is not to hesitate… but to follow.