Q: How can I discover God's will for me?

A: In Psalm 142, we read, “Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.” This verse teaches us the order in which we discover God’s will. We lift up our soul to God first, and then He reveals His will in our lives. That’s why we often hear the expression, “If you want to know God’s will, then know God first.” So the question is, do you know God? Do you have a relationship with Him? If we seek God Himself and seek to develop our relationship with Him, we will naturally be led by Him and we will discover His will in our lives. Keeping this in mind as the first step, there are three points to emphasize in discerning God’s will:

1. Prayer is the most important means by which we grow in our relationship with God and discover His will. An orthodox author said it best: “Whenever we come before Christ earnestly seeking His will, ours meet with His and so we find mercy. The more often and sincerely we pray, the closer our will and His become. Unless we pray, Christ can never meet us, nor can we come to know His will. He waits for us to pray, and looks forward to it … It is while we are in prayer that Christ can get in touch with us, make His will known to us and grant us His grace.” This is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, among other things, during the time of prayer.

2.    Honesty with oneself is also a critical component of discovering God’s will. We have to be honest with ourselves about our intentions and motives. If we have the right motive, then our goal is always our salvation, our repentance, and our growth in pleasing and loving Christ. If so, then we share God’s ultimate will for us, and we have a clear mind that can perceive God’s guidance. Our prayer will not revolve around discovering God’s will alone, but it will be driven by our desire to grow closer to Him, and out of love for Him. Otherwise, without these essential motives, we can’t trust our thoughts and our inclinations as being inspired by the Holy Spirit.

3.    Our father of confession has a vital role in helping us discover God’s will. He supports us with his prayers, helps us to examine our ways and our intentions, and can give us guidance about how to approach a specific question or decision. The blessing of your father of confession is extremely important for any major decision you make in your life.

The following are links to sermons and Q/A about discovering God’s will. Please take the time to listen to and read through these. They may help you to understand the concept of God’s will in your life. God bless you.

Audio Sermons:
http://orthodoxsermons.org/sermons/whats-gods-will-part-1

http://orthodoxsermons.org/sermons/whats-gods-will-part-2

http://orthodoxsermons.org/sermons/whats-gods-will-part-3

http://quebec.copticstudents.com/sermons.html

Questions/Answers:
http://www.suscopts.org/q&a/index.php?catid=174