Directed By The Will Of God

“...the knowledge of his will comes through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” (Colossians 1:9)

At the beginning of the book of Colossians, there is a prayer that Paul prayed for a people whom he had never even seen. It is one of the greatest prayers ever prayed, and it is a perfect model on how you and I can pray for people we don’t even know.

If we were to write a book called “Prayer for Dummies” you could write the entire book based on this one prayer. Many times you are praying to God because you really don’t know what you should be saying to God. But this is a one-size fits all prayer. It is a prayer you can pray for anybody, anytime, under any circumstances, for family members, friends, and employees. I would ask you to pray this prayer for me and it is a prayer we need to pray for our church.

Today, let’s start looking at the components Paul includes in this prayer specifically.

First, Paul tells us to pray that we would be directed by the will of God. Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Where do I find God’s will?” Well, not to make it sound too easy, but we find God’s will in God’s Word. The vast majority of God’s will for your life has already been revealed. It’s not as much of a mystery as you might think. 

We don’t have time today to go through every scripture and verse, but we are told over and over in the Bible, it is the will of God that we be sexually pure. It is the will of God that we be grateful. It is the will of God that we love others. It is the will of God that we should be saved. It is the will of God that we keep the Golden Rule. But unfortunately, the reason why many people never find the will of God that they don’t know is because they are not already obeying the will of God that they do know.

That is why Paul goes on to say, “...the knowledge of his will comes through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives” (Colossians 1:9). In other words, the Spirit of God takes the Word of God and gives you the wisdom of God to know and do the will of God.

So if you’re trying to figure out God’s will for your life, take the time today to dive into His Word. He will give you wisdom and understanding to follow His path if you will open the Scriptures and look for Him there.

Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of your holy Word and for revealing your will within your Word. I pray that you would give me the desire and the discipline to spend time in your Word every day so that I might learn more about your will for my life and that I would live according to that will. In Jesus’ name, amen.