Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

One of the most common desires among biblical Christians is to know the will of God. Why? In order to do the will of God. Why is this a strong desire among disciples? Because we know that God’s will is only always good. God’s will is good for us and gives glory to God. What could be more desirable than that?

There are many times when we are unsure of God’s will. How do we know God’s will? He revealed virtually every bit of His will in the Bible.

In many cases His will is explicit, clearly stated in precept. Precepts are stated as commands. For example the Ten Commandments are precepts to be obeyed. It is God’s will that we obey and it is not God’s will that we disobey.

Likewise, in many cases God’s will is implicit, stated in principle. Principles are often not as clear, and seldom give the particulars of what to do in a given situation. Instead, it is up to us to use wisdom to apply a biblical principle in a particular situation. For example, God’s Word does not tell us which car to buy. But the Bible clearly teaches us about the dangers of indebtedness (Proverbs 22:7). So applying the biblical principle when buying a car, it is God’s will that we avoid debt, and not God’s will to enter into debt. It is God’s will to buy only what we can afford.

In both cases, God reveals His will in His Word, so when asking for God’s will, it is imperative that we know His Word.

Next time: God’s will from the book of James about what to do when we are still not sure.