God’s Plan for Your Life
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. – 1 Timothy 2:3-4
“Jesus taught his disciples to pray, ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…’ (Matthew 6:9-10, emphasis added). No one can be a strong Christian without an awareness of the will of God. The word ‘will’ in the original Greek encompasses purpose and intention, or what someone wants to have happen. There are several aspects of God’s will being done on earth. First, there’s the will of God that applies to everyone. It represents God’s purposes and plans for the world. For example, in the New Testament, we read that God ‘wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.’ We thus know that God wants everyone on earth to receive the salvation that he has provided through Jesus Christ. There’s also God’s general will for all Christians. Here’s one example: ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another’ (John 15:12). And there are others. But there’s also the personal will of God, which represents the purposes and plans God has for each of us individually. He loves you so much that he doesn’t leave you to figure things out for yourself. Instead, he had a unique plan for your life before you were even conceived in your mother’s womb. It involves specifics, such as your career and whom you will marry. We have to ask God every day, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’ because it is under the umbrella of God’s plan for our lives that we experience his protection and provision. When Jesus was here on earth, he said, ‘My food…is to do the will of him who sent me…’ (John 4:34). It is what gave him fulfillment and joy, and it will do the same for you and me today.” – Pastor Cymbala
- What did Jesus teach his disciples to pray concerning the Father’s will?
- What does the word “will” mean in the original Greek?
- How do we know that God wants everyone on earth to be saved?
- Give an example of the general will of God for all Christians.
- Do you believe that God has a unique and specific plan for your life? What does this mean to you?