Were any of us given a pair of sanctified dice when we were born? You know, ones that we can throw that will tell us whether to marry this person or not? Whether to go to this college or another? Buy this house or rent? No? Ok, then should we consult the fortune teller down the street or go eat Chinese every day to get a fortune cookie? Or should we get a Magic 8-Ball or a Ouija Board or Tarot Cards? How do we find the answers to life’s many questions? One of the things we do at our family beach trip every year is gather one night, after supper, where Cindy and I will ask everyone some questions as we sit in a circle in the living room. Some are just for fun, like would you rather go to a concert or a Broadway show? Would you rather spend a day at an amusement park or a beach? Some are more serious. This year Cindy asked, “If you could know for certain the answer to one question, what would it be?” It was a fascinating few minutes to hear my children and grandchildren answer that. What would your one question be? Maybe some would say, “How can I know the will of God for my life?”
We don’t have Urim and Thummim, “light” and “perfection,” that was used in the Old Testament on a handful of occasions to find out God’s will. We have something infinitely better. Someone. We have Jesus, perfect light and perfect truth. We have the Word of God. And we have the Spirit of God. And if the answer to your question about whom to marry isn’t spelled out in the Bible (and it’s not), the principles necessary for making such a decision are there. The church in Thessalonica had a lot of questions, which prompted two letters from the Apostle Paul. One question was about the second coming of Christ and Paul answered that in no uncertain terms: Jesus is coming back. But Paul also offered these two encouragements, words we can take to heart as guideposts for our own lives and decision-making:
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.” Those are clear instructions on knowing God’s will in the area of self-control. We don’t have to pray about God’s will there. It is clear! Paul also wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Three commands that are clear for all who follow Christ.
I remember the speech former NC State basketball coach Jim Valvano gave in 1993 when he won the Arthur Ashe award for courage. Valvano was dying with cancer and would be overcome by it just one month later. But in the speech, which is excellent, he said, “We should do three things every day: we should laugh, we should think, and we should cry, and they can be tears of sadness or joy. If we do those three things every day, seven days a week, what a wonderful life!” I like that. But Paul said we should rejoice always, pray always, and give thanks always. All three, all the time. If we do those every day, what a life filled with joy, peace and purpose, despite the trials that will also come to all of us.
Finally, Sinclair Ferguson wrote that knowing God’s will “comes through a combination of studying God’s Word (where we learn the great principles of his will), a heart which is submitted to the Lord of the word, and the help of the Spirit that illuminates the word and leads us into a true application of its principles to our own situation.”
That’s good wisdom.
J. Mark Fox 