God's Will vs The Believer's Freedom

Hi guys!

Wanna share some thoughts that came to mind as I was insomnia-ing two nights ago..

(It's a bit similar to what I wrote about the last time, but with a slightly different twist. Decision-making is my pet topic you, see. I'm always thinking about such things.)


What is God's Will?

Is it God's Will that I:

1) Join Company A or Company B
2) Go to Temasek Poly or Tampines JC
3) Major in Arts or Science
4) Stay in Simei or Marine Parade
5) Become a teacher or a lawyer or an engineer or banker
6) Get into the schoool basketball team
7) Become a prefect or not
8) Eat chicken rice or fillet-o-fish
9) Get 284 or 200 points for my PSLE
10) Go overseas to study/work or stay in Singapore
11) Be a stay-home mum, or continue working to give my children a more comfortable life
12) Stay with parents after getting married or moving out

the list goes on...
then we will pray to God that we will miraculously be able to just know what his will for us is, to reveal his will to us through a voice in our head, by showing us a sign, or by simply letting his will takeover and just happen naturally. To complicate things, sometimes, we can't even differentiate our own will from His.

For eg: "I seem to hear a voice telling me I should choose to study Accountancy, over Mass Comm. hmm.. but is it my own voice, or is it the Holy Spirit prompting me?"

Many of us tend to think of "God's Will" as a model answer to the questions that we can't answer or are not sure of. Does God have model answers for all our questions and dilemmas, like the nicely-scripted answers that appear in the answer booklets at the back of assessment books?

It occured to me that, perhaps, as we strive to answer the many questions that we encounter in life and struggle to make the best decision possible, that we may be using "God's Will" too loosely. It probably doesn't apply to every single thing.

A while ago, I was choosing between joining Company A or Company B. Friends and family suggested I should seek God's will.. pray and ask God to show me the way, to show me what He wants for me. I did, and I spent days trying to read signs and listening hard to voices in my head that might be showing me the answer. Then as I read the Bible, I found myself scrutinising the passage of the day for remote clues that might tell me whether it was Company A or Company B.

Anyway, in the end... I simply chose one and here I am today, a few months down the road, reflecting on this choice I have made. And I still don't know if it was the correct answer.

Then it hit me that maybe there wasn't one. Does God necessarily have a "specific will" for us in every single decision we have to make? Probably not. I think it doesn't matter to Him whether I went to Company A or B, studied Arts or Science, stayed in Simei or Marine Parade. To get my point across more clearly, I'm quite sure God wouldn't really mind whether you ate chicken rice or wanton mee for lunch - same principle. Put simply, God is not a micromanager.

He's like a great boss who lays down ground rules and lets you know in broad strokes what the company's objectives and goals are and allows you the autonomy to exercise your own creativity and discretion in executing your duties and expects you to take responsibility for your own actions. As long as, at the end of the day, you deliver the goods. Phew. I don't really get along well with micromanaging bosses.

Therein lies the beauty of the free will that God has given us believers, to make choices, to stumble along somewhat, trying to figure out how best to live our lives based on the principles of His Word.

After some thought, I came up with this rough guide to what kind of things God's Will might be more applicable to - things like involve our faith, our spiritual life, things that involve and affect our service, relationship and walk with God. Or things that affect your testimony, that might cause others to stumble, that might taint God's glory or hurt other people.

Things like:

1) Should I give up my job and go to a mountain in Yunnan to become a missionary?

2) I like a non-Christian girl, but the Bible says believers and non-believers should not be yoked together. Should I give up my true love and obey God even though i think I'd be really sad?

3) Should I choose a job that pays me $20,000 but gives me no time at all for family, church and kids, or choose a job that pays $2,000 but gives me a lot of time to serve in church?

4) Should I work as a publicity or marketing manager for the Sands Casino at Marina Bay?


Here's a Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 10: 23 and 31 to guide us when in such situations:

"Everything is permissible - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible - but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good but the good of others."

"So whether you eat or drink of whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. "


So, the next time you lose sleep over a difficult decision, hope my ramblings and this Bible verse will come to mind!