How many times have we prayed to know God’s purpose and will for our lives? I recently heard a statement that spoke to me in a profound way concerning this question. It said: “Act as if you are already there.” In other words, we don’t just arrive one day at God’s will and purpose for our life, but we are walking it out each day. One of my dear patriarchs said, “Life is what you make it.”
God then began to show me nuggets of truth from His Word that made me realize that it is not a place or destination but a daily walk. God brought me to these truths that gave me a new perspective on my search for God’s purpose and will for my life.
The first step in knowing God’s will and purpose for our lives begins with surrender—not just a one-time event but a daily practice as we awaken to each new day. It is a recognition of total unutterable unworthiness—of His forgiveness, His love, His provision—not worthy even to bear His shoes. Romans 12:1-2 describes it as presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice—turning from the world—renewing our mind in His Word. Then and only then can we discern what is the will of God. We are accepted in the Beloved. God receives us on the basis of what Jesus did on the cross. Once we receive Christ as our Savior we are accepted before the Father forever. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. The Father patiently teaches us how to walk with Him. Phil. 2: 13 says “It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God is committed to helping us. God is never too early, never too late but always on time. Ps. 24:14 says “Wait for the LORD, be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD.” God will answer in His perfect time in a manner that will bless us! God is good all the time—all the time God is good! God does not cheat, fail, or forsake us as others might. Do not despair but trust Him—He is faithful. The Father is very careful about what He permits to touch our life because He is good. He has good plans for our life. (Romans 8:28) God’s will for us is perfect. Perfect in Greek means “finished,” “brought to maturity,” “enabled to reach the goal.” The LORD already has a comprehensive and trustworthy strategy for leading us all the way to victory. The problem arises when we kick against the pricks and crawl off the altar of surrender and insist on our will rather than His will. We may not know His full plan, but He does as He knows the end from he beginning (Isa. 46:10). We can rest in Him and entrust our life into His capable hands. “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever. (Ps. 138:8) God gives us free-will to make choices. God created mankind with free-will as our loving heavenly Father is not honored by forced, unwilling, artificial submission but is pleased and exalted when we obey Him because we know He is trustworthy, wise, and always acts in love toward us. Ps. 25: 12 says “Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.” To realize the fullness of God’s will and purpose for our life requires that we walk in obedience to His way. God’s plan does not fail—even when we fail. What happens when we mess up? When we fail and we will, we must acknowledge our wrong, repent and submit to God. We may have missed God’s original plan, but He sets in motion a plan for us to get back on track. (I Jn. 1:9) He picks up the broken pieces of our life and with the glue of His love and forgiveness, He puts us back together and gives us a wonderful purpose. God desires to fulfill His plans to give us peace and not calamity—to give us a future and a hope according to Jer. 29:11. As we read further we see the pre-requisite—“Call to Me, come to Me, pray to Me” (12) and He promises to listen to us. To experience God’s perfect will and plan for our lives we must seek God with all our hearts (v 13). The search for God’s will and purpose for our life will then be found—one day—one step at a time!