When it comes to figuring out God’s will, we often make it incredibly difficult to figure out. We talk about it in mystical ways, heightening the sense that only a few find it. We wonder, does God have a specific will for my life? What if I miss it?

This happens with marriage; is there the one for me and what if I marry the wrong one?

If there’s an open door, is that God’s will? If it’s a closed door, is that God way of saying no?

We also look at people in the Bible, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Paul and see people that God used in incredible ways, but also people that God spoke to audibly and laid out his will. We see Noah getting the measurements of the ark. Abraham and Moses are told where to go. Does God still do that?

For us, we have something they didn’t have. God’s will written out in the form of God’s word. We have God’s inspired, authoritative word. Over 31,000 words that God has given to us and preserved to show us how life is to be lived.

This means a few things. I don’t think we will find a laid out plan for every aspect of our life. God will not give us all the details. What he does do is give us a framework in which to live by and make decisions.

Most people when they make decisions set out the pros and cons of a choice and then choose the way that has the most pros or the least annoying or uncomfortable cons. What if we thought about it differently? What if we looked at the framework God has given us in Scripture and asked, “Will this choice get me to where God wants me or will it hinder me?” Sometimes, the choice with the most cons will get us there.

Here are a few clues to the framework:

• Marriage: God has told us in Ephesians 5 and Genesis 1 – 2 that there are specific roles for marriage. Men are to lead their wives and families lovingly. They are to pastor them. They are to lay their lives down as Jesus did. They are to exhibit servant leadership. God has given them responsibility and accountability for their families. Wives are to respond to their husband’s leadership and submit to them. They are to be their partners in life, their helpers, giving pushback when needed. This doesn’t mean a wife is a robot or a doormat. The Holy Spirit is called “the helper” so I don’t think this is a negative thing as we speak of it.
• Money: Malachi 3 and 2 Corinthians 8 – 9 tells us to steward the money and possessions God entrusts to us well. We are to honor God by giving back to him a portion of what he has entrusted to us. That portion is to be sacrificial, generous, worshipful and proportional. This means we need to set this aside first and then live within the means of what is left.
• Work: We are to work and rest. We are to live in rhythm. If we are married, 1 Timothy 5 says that a man is responsible for providing for his family, that if he doesn’t, he is worse than an unbeliever. This means we need to live within the means of what we make. Our identity is not found in our work, but our work is one way we glorify God and show what He is like through our faithful, hard work.
• Mission: Matthew 28, Acts 1 and scores of other places that we are to live on mission. That the gospel should change us in such a way that we live our lives with the purpose of moving the gospel forward in the world in which we live. That we should live lives that are different. If you live out the passages mentioned above, do you think your life will look different from those around you?

I could go on and on. My point is that God has laid out what it means to be a follower of his, what it means to live in the freedom of the gospel, what a man, woman, dad, mom, husband, wife, child, boss, employee. What it means to date, to work, to pray, to eat, to sleep.

I believe that if we lived out what Scripture calls us to, we would find God’s will for our lives more easily and clearly.