Scavenger Hunting for God’s Will

If you’re a current or recovering perfectionist like me, big decisions can be paralyzing.

Perfectionism aside, making such decisions rarely seems to be a one-step process. No matter how much pressure there is to decide quickly, God seldom drops us a sign on the spot. There always seems to be at least a moment of running around, of searching for the “right” answer.

God has faced me with two or three such decisions over the past few months. And in the midst of it all, He’s challenged me to change my perspective.

Instead of viewing big or difficult decisions as a hassle or a terror, He’s challenged me to approach them as divine invitations to a quest—a scavenger hunt for God’s will, you might say.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily make decision-making fun. God knows how arduous, even painful, some decisions can be—more akin to torture than a game.

But when we realize God is calling to us through our quandaries, we realize we’re not alone in them.

In the midst of overwhelming uncertainty, we can be sure of—and draw strength from—three things:

God provides for our decision-making

Most Christians would probably agree that our first response to any problem should be prayer. And when faced with a tough decision, many of us readily send up an SOS.

That part is easy enough. But right after that comes the moment we most easily get lost.

“Help, God! What do I do?” we pray. Then we hold our breath, listening…and, too often, hear crickets.

When that happens, we tend to either 1) panic and bolt down the nearest path, hoping it’s the right one, or 2) sink to the ground in despair. At the very least, we might find ourselves feeling bereft, abandoned to our own meager devices.

If you’re praying at the crossroads of decision and wondering where God’s answer is, take heart! God never leaves us helpless to do what He wants at the moment He wants us to do it.

So let out the breath you’re holding and assess your decision-making toolbox. It includes:

• The Bible. The Bible is God’s Word. It contains promises, life principles, Jesus’ teachings and commands, and examples of how we are (and aren’t) to live. It shows us what God is like and what kind of relationship He wants with us. It checks our perspective of ourselves, our world, and God, and offers guidance for navigating reality. When faced with a decision, we can mine the Bible’s pages for wisdom, asking God to help us understand His Word and apply it rightly. We can also glean comfort from its promises and use its words in our prayers as we continue to seek Him.
• The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the divine Trinity. (Read more about the Trinity in the Nicene Creed.) When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. This means we have God’s presence and power with us always. We can ask for discernment, insight, wisdom, guidance, strength, peace, endurance, and conviction—and we can receive it. With His help, we can resist temptation, discern truth, make right choices, and model Christlike character.
• The Church. By “the Church”, we mean the Christian faith community, God’s family, the body of Christ-followers of which Christ is the head. When one of its members faces a hard decision, we can turn to others for support. We can ask Christian friends and family to pray for us. We can seek counsel from wise, mature, godly Christians whom we trust. We can read or listen to resources from reputable Christian organizations and leaders.
• Other resources. Depending on the situation, these might include things like professional counseling, or research into a particular area related to the decision at hand, e.g. home construction, business management, or pet care.

Also examine your surroundings. Have you identified all your options? How many are actually realistic based on your starting point? Where might each lead?

Most important: Which options glorify God? What would the choice to walk a particular path say about the kind of God you believe in? What kind of character would it require you to demonstrate? Who would you become? What would your relationship with God become?

If, after considering all this, you’re still at the trailhead, maybe God wants you to wait there. Or maybe He’s calling you to make the first move.

Regardless, keep praying and observing. And keep those tools in hand!

God guarantees that those who seek will find His will

Too often, we envision God’s will as something elusive. We think discovering it requires some mystical mindset in which we receive some blinding revelation or decode some cryptic message. At the very least, we imagine, we must be at an exact place at an exact moment to meet it, or we’ll never find it.

In reality, God makes His will accessible. The Bible reveals His basic will for all of us: to have a right relationship with Him, to live by His principles, and to help each other do the same. When we face a decision, we can ask ourselves which options allow or aid us to do these things.

Beyond this, God also promises to provide what we need to make choices when we ask. When we ask in faith for wisdom, He promises to give it. When we ask for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, He promises to grant it. And when we wholeheartedly seek Him, He promises to be found.

And if we stray from His will but repent and ask forgiveness, He promises to forgive, cleanse, and redeem us.

So pursue Him and His will with boldness. Persevere, trusting that He’ll reveal each step to you at the right time—and ultimately bring you to the prize.

God is the true prize

Many times, when making a decision, we seek only a solution to our dilemma. In doing so, we forget the point of finding and following God’s will: to find and follow God.

The stakes are higher and the reward infinitely better than simply doing the right thing. When we set out to make choices that align with God’s will, we set out to grow closer to God—to pursue the relationship we were created for.

In this scavenger hunt, God is more than the clue-setter. He’s also the prize. In presenting us with a decision and then offering guidance, He seems to say, “Look! You need Me. Come follow my clues and find Me!”

When approached this way, what seems at first like a demand to perform becomes an invitation to pursue and interact with God in a new, unique way. And when we take Him up on His invitation, we rediscover that He’s indeed with us in everything—and wants to be.

And He’s worth pursuing—He who’s pursued us from the beginning of time, who redeems the wayward and unworthy, who walks with the weak and hurting. He who’s eternally compassionate, gracious, faithful, holy, wise, all-knowing, all-powerful, sovereign, and good, Creator of all things. He who longs to be near each one of us, who delights in finding and seeking, in being sought and being found.

So much so that God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, became one of us to bring sinners back to God. Jesus lived a sinless life, healing people and teaching about God, and died an innocent death on the cross to atone for our sins. He was buried and rose to life on the third day afterward to offer us future resurrection and eternity with God. Forty days later, He ascended to heaven, where He intercedes and advocates for those who trust in Him. And one day He’ll return to earth to end sin, suffering, and death forever and usher in God’s kingdom.

As a result, anyone who repents of their sins and trusts Jesus as the Lord of their life and Savior of their soul receives forgiveness and full access to God, now and forever. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in them, shaping Christlike character in them and providing everything they need to live a God-honoring life. And they look forward to eternity with Jesus in God’s kingdom.

Whatever else we wonder regarding God’s will, we can know this: God wants everyone to accept His offer in Jesus. He wants everyone to be saved. He wants everyone to have that relationship with Him.

If you haven’t already put your faith in Jesus, now’s the time! Believe what He did for you through His death and resurrection. Confess your sins to God and repent of them. Ask His forgiveness. Ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life and Savior of your soul.

If you’ve already begun your journey with Jesus, invite others to begin theirs. Share His love and good news with them. Encourage and support other Christ-followers in their walk with Him.

And when you struggle to discern where He’s leading you in a particular situation, remember: He’s with you, He’s for you, and He’s worthy of your pursuit. Keep seeking!

The Lord is good and upright;
therefore he shows sinners the way.
He leads the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth
to those who keep his covenant and decrees.

Psalm 25:8-10 CSB

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Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.