In a recent message about finding God’s will, Steven Furtick made what I thought was a very insightful statement. He said that, “God’s will is more about the present than the future.” We often take the long view in trying to determine what God wants us to do with our lives while neglecting what we should be doing in this moment. Being in God’s will is all about obeying Him in our daily lives. When we are living our lives in the ways He modeled for us, we are in His will. When we care for others and think less of ourselves, we are doing God’s will.
As we fret about trying to determine what God wants us to do with our lives, we too often overlook the opportunities to serve Him today. In the grand scheme of things, it is irrelevant what job you take, what school you attend, or even whom you marry. Regardless of our circumstance in life, we all can serve God today. Your occupation does not determine whether or not you can feed the hungry. Who you marry has little to do with whether or not you can care for the sick. No matter where, or if, you attend college, you can still help shelter the homeless.
Another good point Furtick made was that when we “turn to God, we are in His will”. We were created to commune with God. Unless and until we are truly seeking God, we will never understand what His will for our life actually is. When you determine to surrender everything and simply immerse your life in His, the will of God will not only be accomplished but will be ridiculously obvious to you. In short, God’s will isn’t something you do; it’s someone you become.
If you cannot glorify God through what you are doing today, you won’t be able to glorify Him through anything else you might do in the future. His will is not about any particular job we might hold or task we might accomplish. God’s will for your life is to love those around you right now. God’s will for your life is to notice the hurting people around you. God’s will is for you to be a servant to all, just like Jesus. There is great peace to be found when you are living out God’s will for your life. You will find this peace as you become more and more like Him.
It’s important that we use the talents and passions that God has placed inside each of us. But to use those talents without the intent of bringing honor and glory to Him render all our activities useless. Until our hearts are humble to the point of craving insignificance in the presence of all, we will struggle to understand His will for our life. He must be everything; we must be nothing. At this point, we will begin to understand His will. We will begin to become the person He created us to be. And that is God’s will for us today.