What is God’s will for my life? This is a question that I have heard many people ask over the years. It is a source of anxiety even for the least anxious people. Honestly, I am not a very anxious person, but a common anxiety I share with everyone is fear and uneasiness about the future. When I was younger, I would often worry about if I was on the right path in life. I have asked questions like, “Am I serving God like he wants me to?”, “Am I choosing the right degree in college?”, and “Is moving to a new city to work in this ministry what he really wants me to do?”. As I have grown older and grown in my faith, some of those anxieties have dissipated, but some still exist today. My life so far hasn’t looked like I thought it would, in both good and disappointing ways, and sometimes it looks different from other people my age. I tend to ask questions like, Am I doing something wrong? I am 25 and just now finishing undergraduate studies, I am not married and don’t have a family. Am I behind in life? Have I missed the Lord’s guidance at a different point in life? These are fears that try to creep up on me as I go about living my life and serving the Lord. In light of these questions, there are some truths and promises from scripture that cut through the lies I tell myself and give me clarity and hope.

What is Your Calling in Life?

Should I go do overseas missions, or accept that teaching job at home? Many people are often preoccupied with discerning what God’s call is on their life. But the Scripture tells us what God’s calling is for each of us.

¹And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:1-10 – ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

Ephesians 4:1 – ESV

God has prepared you to walk in good works and he has paved the way in front of you through the death and resurrection of His Son for you to be able to gloriously walk in good works wherever you are. In 4:1 Paul exhorts us to walk in a manner “worthy of the calling to which you have been called”, and in the following verses, he tells us to do that with humility, gentleness, patience, love, and unity among fellow believers.

Paul mentions our calling here, so what is that calling? Chapter 2 makes it clear that our calling is to be followers of Jesus Christ. We were dead in our trespasses and sins (2:1) but now through grace, God has made us alive with Christ (2:5) to do good works he has planned for us (2:10). This calling Paul speaks of is our salvation! Before we are called to ministry or led by God into a specific job or school, we are first and foremost called to be followers and imitators of Christ. Eph. 5 verses 1-2 tells us to be imitators of God and to walk in love. From these scriptures, we can glean that God’s calling for you is that you would be saved by grace, be made more like Him, and you would imitate Him. You, Christian, are called to live a new life worthy of the calling of Christ wherever you are and in whatever life choices you make.

Paul sums it up the best in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 :

For this is the will of God, your sanctification…

1 Thessalonians 4:3a ESV

So, no matter what school you go to, no matter where you choose to live, or no matter whom you choose to date or marry, God’s plan is that you would be sanctified through it. When making life decisions, big or small, go to the Scriptures, pray, and ask the Lord and yourself if the decision you are about to make will sanctify you more or less. Will going to this school sanctify me? Does this girl make me more like Christ? Can I faithfully live out my Christian calling at this job? God’s will is that you would be sanctified and more like him, and his calling on your life is that you would be saved by the work of His Son, no matter what circumstance you find yourself in.

God’s Will is Your Good

Romans 8:28 is another promise I cling to.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 – ESV

Not just because it is a feel-good scripture, but because, when rightly understood, it is a comforting and sanctifying promise. All things work for the good of the Christian, but this verse begs the question, what is our good? What is the definition of good? Who defines it?

Some people balk at the quotation of this verse because of its rampant misuse. Many teachers over the years have used this verse to claim that good will happen to those who love God. Often, the caveat of, “…for those called according to his purpose.” is not an issue for the bad teachings about this verse to get around because the claim they make is if you love God, he works everything for your good. Bad people who hate God do not receive good things from Him, good people who love God receive good things from Him. The meaning of “good” in these erroneous teachings is defined by the teacher. That’s the issue. If I think my good is my safety, happiness, or wealth then when I read this verse, I am going to hear it say, “God is making all things work to give me what will make me happy if I love him.”

This interpretation fails for two reasons. First, you are the one who defines what good is and what good God is working for you. Second, it makes the blessing of God on your life not contingent on faith in Christ’s work, but on your works. The solution to this issue is that we must let God’s Word define what “good” is.  

Where do we get that definition? Easy, straight from Scripture. The very next verse tells us why God saves us and works all things to our good.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (emphasis added)

Romans 8:29 – ESV

Time and time again the Bible points to our good being our sanctification. Romans 8:28-29 tells us that God has predestined to conform us to the image of Christ. This is how all things work to the good of those who love Him. He is working all things to our sanctification. The entire book of Ephesians teaches us that the good that God is working in us is our salvation and sanctification. As has already been seen above, the Ephesians tells us to be sanctified and that we are saved for good works (Eph 2:10). Also, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 show us that though there might be suffering and hardships in life, God blesses us through them and brings good in them by making us more like him.

I think it would be improper to talk about Romans 8:28 and God’s will for your life and not briefly go over the question of how suffering, hard times, and uncertainty factor in. When Christians give testimony about hard times they have walked through, a common theme heard is that they can see how God was working in their life. You often hear or have probably said things like “But now I see how God was working through [insert situation].”, or “I see what God was teaching me through [insert situation].”  These statements are true and I praise the Lord for the clarity and peace He provides His people even in hardships. Not all things feel good at the moment, but we can often look back at challenging times in our lives and see what God was doing in us and for us.

But what about when we might not be able to look back on life’s hardships or even be able to see where God is bringing good out of a situation. What if I go my whole life without seeing the sliver lining or knowing how God is working for my good? Sometimes the pain and consequences of life’s tragedies will not be healed until we step into eternity, but scripture lets us know that, at the very least, God is using all things in our life to make us more like Him. If you have found yourself in this crowd, know that there is comfort in the Scriptures, hang on to the hope of salvation that He has put in you, and know that He is working to make you more like Himself and dependent on Him.

Allow God to Lead You Through Sanctification.

Sadly, I cannot divine for you what job to take or who to marry. If I could, I would have done it for myself a long time ago… and with such an ability I probably would have made a lot of money in the process. But I hope you understand my point. God’s will for you is to be sanctified and be more like Him. I do not think the exact decisions you make on where you go to school, what church you go to, or who you marry are exactly laid out in God’s will and plan for you. Rather, I think that because His will is to sanctify you, you should ask Him if the decisions you are making are forming you to look more like Christ. I firmly believe that as you imitate Christ, He will guide you into the right decisions and lead you further into His purpose for your life. Do you trust the Lord enough to allow Him to lead you through sanctification?