The Formula for Knowing God's Will

I think part of the problem in discussing God’s will is most who attempt to do so stay at the 30,000 foot level, meaning rather conceptual. What God intends is for you to apply His values with His formulas to live His will even on a daily basis … because He makes it easy! God’s will lives at YOUR level of living, and I’m sure unless you’re a pilot, you don’t routinely live at 30,000 feet. Your feet are on the ground. Unfortunately, the many books I’ve read regarding God’s will are largely conceptual. They’re also heavy heavy heavy heavy with that “Christian-speak”. Let’s talk about this for a hot minute.

Most institutions in life have their own vernacular. They have their own short-hand, if you will, for tossing ideas around. In the Marine Corps, I can mention “commander’s intent,” or “culmination point,” or “fundamentals of the offense.” Unless you’ve been in the Marine Corps, you probably have no idea what I’m saying. In business, I could say, “brand strategy,” “market position,” “P/L strategies.” Again, most of you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. In Christianity, we say, “ministry of the Holy Spirit,” “presence of God,” “fruit of the Spirit,” “the call of God.” Again, many of you have no idea what these constructs entail. Unfortunately, many books on God’s will speak this way, making it very difficult for readers who may not be that into Christianity or practiced at it. Heck, it’s hard for Christians, too.

According to the Pew Research Center in a report on Modeling the Future of Religion in America, only two-thirds (66%) of Americans now identify as being Christian. That’s down from around 90% in the 1990s. And they expect that number will continue to fall. In an article by Ryan Burge of Eastern Illinois University entitled Gen Z and Religion in 2021, Mr. Burge reports that only 36% of Gen Z identify as Christian. Well, this leaves many people unfamiliar with Christian-speak who might still want to know God’s plan for them. In another Pew Research Center article, only 31% of teens and only 33% of their parents report that only one religion is true. 45% of teens and 47% of their parents report that many religions can be true. 

In a recent conversation with a young man who is a freshman in college and not a church-goer, I asked if he ever thought about the plan for his life. “Every single day,” he responded. “Not a day goes by that I don’t wonder what it is I’m supposed to do and become.” I asked if he believed in God. He took a day to answer! The following day he called and said, “Yes, I do believe there’s some guiding power in the universe, perhaps something akin to God.”

That’s good enough for me, and I believe many who may read this book feel similarly.

Christians themselves likely aren’t doing themselves any favors. According to an article entitled Bible readership in the U.S. 2018-2021, a survey found that only 11% of Americans read the Bible every day. And that number is highly distorted by those over age 70 who read the Bible more than, say, Millennials. The article states that Millennials are “most likely to have never read the Bible.” 

So, the logical takeaway is more and more Christians themselves are unfamiliar with God’s many formulas for life contained in His Word. That Statista article claims that part of this reason is because the Bible itself isn’t easy.

The Bible is a mammoth compilation of 66 books written by 40 different authors over thousands of years with more than 100 English translations, most containing more than 700,000 words. And, the Bible isn’t arranged by topic. There’s not a book in the Bible called, “how to understand my Will.” Instead, that topic is hidden in a book called Phillipians and many other books. God’s formulas require a lot of personal work akin to mining. You have to dig dig dig to get to truths from all parts of the Bible. Then you have to put it all together. That’s a lot of studying. Where do you start? Too many likely start at the start, Genesis, which is an intimidating task. The Bible has about 1200 pages, and most of “the good stuff” regarding God’s will is in the final chapters, not the beginning. I’m certainly not criticizing God’s Word at all. I’m just acknowledging that it’s not like a textbook where the subject matter starts simple and progresses logically. God’s Word tends to be portrayed on a timeline of history, meaning concepts randomly appear in different books in different time periods in different authors’ voices. It’s all great, and wonderful, and yet it requires a lot of study.

Well, I’ve done the work! And I’d like to distill it down for you in a very practical and doable fashion.