How Can I Know If What Is Happening Is God's Will? (Talk Back Series)

Talk Back Question:  How can I know if what is happening in my life is the will of God or because of my own choices?
[This question can in on a Talk Back card at our church.]

That is a very good question to ask and the answer goes a little deeper.

Just like Habakkuk, we have to have faith in God.  We know that with the fall of human kind, sin entered into the world, and that sin can interfere in our lives.  Let’s look at 1 John chapter 5: 

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. ² We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. ³ Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. ⁵ And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”

In 1 John 5, we learn that if we believe that Christ is our savior and we love him, we will carry out his commands. By carrying out his commands we overcome the world!  This passage is letting us know a few miraculous blessings from God. 

1. When we confess and are saved by Jesus Christ, we are reborn into God’s family and we are His children. Just like when we were children, we follow and listen to our parents. We must do the same with God!
2. That we need to know God’s commands.  How? By reading, studying and understanding the word of God –the Holy Bible. 
3. If we follow his commands and seek God’s will, then we do not have to worry about what is happening in our lives! We know that God is in control.

Also, from 1 John 5:

¹⁴ And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. ¹⁵ And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

These verses show us that when we talk to God, we don’t demand what we want. When we become Christians, we become slaves to Christ (Ephesians 6:6) and to God. Our will, our thinking is no longer about us!  It is about God’s will!  When we pray for God’s will, he will listen to us, and we can be certain that he will intervene in our lives.

So how does this answer the question?  Well, if we are seeking God and His will, we can be confident that no matter what happens, God will guide us.  We must pray and seek guidance and have confidence that God is showing us His will. Sometimes God is very direct, and sometimes he is not.  He did give us a free will to choose and God wants us to be happy serving Him.  Sometimes the choices may be entirely up to you!  God doesn’t nitpick out lives!  Trust in God, and your prayers. 

[Answered by our youth pastor, Adam Jantz.]