Stop asking God about his will (and do this instead)
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. (Psalm 37:23-24)
We’ve been in a series exploring biblical truths for discerning God’s will for your work. Here’s the fourth and final I’ll share:
Truth #4: Some Christians need to spend less time discerning God’s will and more time doing God’s will.
Now, notice that I didn’t say “spend no time discerning God’s will.” That would be unbiblical and foolish as the wisdom of seeking wisdom from the Lord is everywhere in Scripture (see Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:5, etc.).
The problem is that many of us spend so much time worrying about God’s will for the future that we never get around to doing his will in the present.
This stands in stark contrast to the example of Christ’s followers in Scripture. Take Paul as an example. Yes there were times when Paul waited on the Lord in prayer (see Acts 13:1-2, Acts 16:6-10, etc.). But as pastor Jerry Sittser explains, the New Testament offers no hint that Paul agonized about the will of God as it pertained to the future…If we sense any agony in the heroes of Scripture, it is not in discovering the will of God but in doing it.”
Now I hear what you’re thinking: OK Jordan, so long as I am seeking to obey God, I have lots of freedom in the decisions I make at work. I get it. But I still have a decision to make! So how do I choose? Let me suggest 3 practices that put the truths we’ve learned in this series into practice.
#1: Pray and ask God for wisdom. But as I mentioned before, don’t be surprised if his answer is, “you choose.”
#2: Seek wisdom from Christians who understand your work. This could be a small group in your church, a Christian Employee Resource Group at your company, or my own Mere Christians Community (which is open for enrollment this week).
#3: Flip a coin. Absent an exceptionally clear answer from God or others, choose whichever option you want. Still can’t decide? Flip a coin. As music producer Rick Rubin explains, “When the coin is spinning in the air, you’ll likely notice a quiet preference or wish for one of the two to come up. Which are you rooting for? This is the option to go with.”
God’s will for your work is that you would work with him and be obedient to his commands. That gives you tons of freedom to make decisions today. Maybe you need to stop asking God about his will and start doing his will. Because as Saint Francis de Sales once said, “Deeds give God far more glory than any amount of time wasted in trying to discriminate between good and better.”
