"Uh, which way do we go, George?"

Jul 5 2022 - Eric Buresh

When I was a toddler, my dad would occasionally play old cartoons for me. In the 1940’s cartoon Of Fox and Hound, a dopey dog named Willoughby was constantly asking a fox named George, who Willoughby never suspected of being a fox, which way the fox went. George invariably pointed Willoughby over the edge of a cliff or in some other precarious direction. I suppose the moral of the story was that we need to be careful who we ask for directions.

Now, as I’m watching my kids go through the process of one-by-one leaving home, I get to see them going through their “uh, which way do we go, George” moments. So many BIG decisions in just a few years. What school? What career? What spouse? What job? What city? What house? Fortunately, they’re not asking a fox for advice. Rather, the question they wrestle with is “how do I know the Lord’s will for my life.” My answer catches them off guard, “well, don’t worry about the Lord’s will. He’s got that covered. If you’re in the Word and walking in the Spirit right now, just do whatever you most desire to do. If you’re not in the Word, delay the decision, get in the Word for a time, and then make the decision.”

This guidance might sound odd at first, but there’s truth in the madness. The “Lord’s will” can reference two different concepts so it’s important to get on the same page. I refer to the two types of will as His “sovereign will” and His “revealed will.” The Lord’s sovereign will includes every detail He is working in the universe to bring about His perfect plans and purposes. Not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the will of our Father in heaven (Matthew 10:29). “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33). “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). Paul sweepingly summarizes the Lord’s sovereign will by describing Christ in Ephesians 1:11 as “him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” The Lord’s sovereign will, by which He acts to bring His plans to fruition, is invincible. No man can stop or hamper even the tiniest detail of the Lord’s sovereign will. So, when the Lord wants you in a certain place for a certain good work, you will be there. He will make it happen, and you need not worry about that at all. He’s got that covered.

God’s revealed will, on the other hand, is directed squarely at us and is to be accomplished by us (or not). The revealed will of God comprises His commands and desires for us in the Scriptures. For example, “this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thes. 4:3). Or “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thes. 5:18). The Bible gives us all kinds of directions for living with Christ-like attitudes and behaviors. Together, these directions make up God’s revealed will for our lives, and we either do His revealed will or we don’t (which is called sin). God does not force us to follow His revealed will.  

God’s revealed will is the very foundation of good decision making. Whether we’re talking about the “big” decisions of life or the spontaneous decisions and subconscious reactions that make up 98% or more of our actions, being immersed in the Word of God is critical. We must saturate our minds in it. Then, as Paul states in Romans 12:2, we will be “transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Paul is not suggesting we will gain some sort of crystal ball by which we can discern the sovereign will of God. Rather, Paul is teaching that when we are transformed in our mind by the Word and the Spirit, we are becoming more Christ-like in our attitudes and actions and less world-like. Our desires become aligned with Christ’s desires. When our desires are aligned with Christ’s desires, the decisions we make will naturally be “good and acceptable and perfect.” So, when you are in the Word and walking in the Spirit, the direction that is most desirable to you is the right direction. But, be warned, if you are not in the Word and walking in the Spirit, then your mind is not renewed, and you cannot have any confidence at all in what your mind (or heart) tells you. (Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”).

If you have a big decision on the horizon, saturate your mind in the Scriptures. You are not looking for an answer or a decision from Scriptures. You’ll never find it. Instead, you are seeking to immerse your mind in Christ-like desires and attitudes so that you are prepared to make your decision in alignment with those desires and attitudes. This is how we confidently live in the will of God.

P.S. – For further study, the two wills of God mentioned above are also a helpful framework for understanding how God’s will and man’s evil intersect. For example, consider a child that is abused by some family member. It is totally correct to say that the abusive action was totally against God’s will. It is also totally correct to say that allowing the abusive action was God’s will. Obviously, we’re talking about two different wills. The abuser’s actions in this example are totally contrary to God’s revealed will in Scriptures. The abuser is sinning and evil, and if they do not find justification in Christ’s blood, their sin will be judged by God and justice will be served across eternity. Yet, in God’s sovereign will, He did not act to prevent this sin when He unquestionably could have because He has a purpose and plan that will work that sin for a majestic good. The abused child, when they are older, can learn to take heart that their suffering was not pointless and that God has a plan that will redeem the sinful actions of man for an ultimate good. What man intends for evil, God intends for good (Gen. 50:20 and God’s beautiful end to the abuse Joseph’s brothers worked against him)! God brings beauty from ashes – thanks be to God to whom all glory is due!