Gary Friesen, Professor of the Bible at Multnomah Bible College, wrote a book called Decision-Making and the Will of God. I am grateful for Dr. Friesen’s study of the scriptures.
Last week, we looked at 3 principles for decision-making that’s will help us live in God's will. #1. Obedience. #2. Freedom. #3. Wisdom. Here is the 4th principle.
4. TRUST: We trust our sovereign Lord to work the details together for good.
God is actively involved in our decision making - even in the area of freedom.
When you read the Bible, we see God's will defined as His moral will/revealed will/desired will. The Bible also speaks of God’s will in another way. It speaks of God’s determined will/sovereign will. "[God] works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:11, ESV).
God has a plan for our lives that doesn’t violate our freedom but that determines all that happens in our lives (and in history). The Bible says that all of God’s purposes and plans will be accomplished. The classice verse on this is Romans 8:28, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
God sovereignly directs all things (including our freely chosen decisions) so that they work together for good. Don’t be concerned that your decisions will somehow derail God's sovereign will for your life. He will work through your decisions to accomplish what He purposes. Trust Him!
I sometimes counsel people who are having problems in marriage and who say, “I must have married the wrong person.” I ask, “Why do you say that?” “Well, if I was in the center of God’s will, I wouldn’t be having these troubles.”
A common myth many people believe is this: “Being in God’s will shields us from problems. When I am in God’s will life… just… works. My problems must mean I am out of God’s will.”
Think! Who was most perfectly in God’s will? Jesus! Did He have problems? Yes! He was despised and rejected by men. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He ended up being executed on a cross.
Being in God’s will doesn’t mean a problem-free life. God uses problems when we are in His will to accomplish His purposes in our lives.
When I was in my last year of college, I was wondering who my future wife might be. I knew a couple of Christian girls at Vanderbilt. One was named Bitsy. Another was named Joanne. And then there was this girl I met from the University of Alabama named Maryanne.
At that time, I saw three doors/three options/three possibilities. And there were possibly others. All the doors were in the circle (and the tree), within the moral/desired/revealed will of God. I had the freedom to go to any of those doors, knock, and see who might say “Hello.”
When I am on the decision side of the 3 doors, I have freedom to choose based on wisdom from God. But when I went through the Maryanne door and look back, I only see one door!
Why? God led me in making the choice/the decision to marry Maryanne. It was His sovereign plan for my life. So, when we run into problems (not “if” but “when”) we can never say, “I must have married the wrong person. I missed God’s will for my life.” The sovereign plan of God – the determined will of God – is that I spend my life with Maryanne and that we work through any issues that come up. Working through the problems is part of His will for my life, too!
God has a sovereign plan for your life. But He doesn’t show us the details of the plan before it unfolds. He will give you grace to deal with the details one at a time.
This frees us from the worry and fear that so many of us have when we are faced with making decisions. If you know that God is working all things for your good then there is a sense in which the pressure’s off. Stay in the right circle. Be in the right tree. Knock on the right doors. Then, make your decision. God will be sovereignly guiding you. Your good future is not based on your ability to make a flawless choice. You can trust God to guide you.
Principle #1: The principle of obedience. Principle #2: The principle of freedom. Principle #3: The principle of wisdom. Principle #4: The principle of trust.
Last week, we looked at 3 principles for decision-making that’s will help us live in God's will. #1. Obedience. #2. Freedom. #3. Wisdom. Here is the 4th principle.
4. TRUST: We trust our sovereign Lord to work the details together for good.
God is actively involved in our decision making - even in the area of freedom.
When you read the Bible, we see God's will defined as His moral will/revealed will/desired will. The Bible also speaks of God’s will in another way. It speaks of God’s determined will/sovereign will. "[God] works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:11, ESV).
God has a plan for our lives that doesn’t violate our freedom but that determines all that happens in our lives (and in history). The Bible says that all of God’s purposes and plans will be accomplished. The classice verse on this is Romans 8:28, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
God sovereignly directs all things (including our freely chosen decisions) so that they work together for good. Don’t be concerned that your decisions will somehow derail God's sovereign will for your life. He will work through your decisions to accomplish what He purposes. Trust Him!
I sometimes counsel people who are having problems in marriage and who say, “I must have married the wrong person.” I ask, “Why do you say that?” “Well, if I was in the center of God’s will, I wouldn’t be having these troubles.”
A common myth many people believe is this: “Being in God’s will shields us from problems. When I am in God’s will life… just… works. My problems must mean I am out of God’s will.”
Think! Who was most perfectly in God’s will? Jesus! Did He have problems? Yes! He was despised and rejected by men. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He ended up being executed on a cross.
Being in God’s will doesn’t mean a problem-free life. God uses problems when we are in His will to accomplish His purposes in our lives.
When I was in my last year of college, I was wondering who my future wife might be. I knew a couple of Christian girls at Vanderbilt. One was named Bitsy. Another was named Joanne. And then there was this girl I met from the University of Alabama named Maryanne.
At that time, I saw three doors/three options/three possibilities. And there were possibly others. All the doors were in the circle (and the tree), within the moral/desired/revealed will of God. I had the freedom to go to any of those doors, knock, and see who might say “Hello.”
When I am on the decision side of the 3 doors, I have freedom to choose based on wisdom from God. But when I went through the Maryanne door and look back, I only see one door!
Why? God led me in making the choice/the decision to marry Maryanne. It was His sovereign plan for my life. So, when we run into problems (not “if” but “when”) we can never say, “I must have married the wrong person. I missed God’s will for my life.” The sovereign plan of God – the determined will of God – is that I spend my life with Maryanne and that we work through any issues that come up. Working through the problems is part of His will for my life, too!
God has a sovereign plan for your life. But He doesn’t show us the details of the plan before it unfolds. He will give you grace to deal with the details one at a time.
This frees us from the worry and fear that so many of us have when we are faced with making decisions. If you know that God is working all things for your good then there is a sense in which the pressure’s off. Stay in the right circle. Be in the right tree. Knock on the right doors. Then, make your decision. God will be sovereignly guiding you. Your good future is not based on your ability to make a flawless choice. You can trust God to guide you.
Principle #1: The principle of obedience. Principle #2: The principle of freedom. Principle #3: The principle of wisdom. Principle #4: The principle of trust.
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