A View from the Pew
by Mike Burns

What’s God’s will for your life?

That’s a loaded question! I am in a season of considerable stress at work and at home. Recently, during worship no less, a   relatively minor problem became the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Suddenly, I experienced what I can only describe as something akin to an anxiety attack. It lasted only a minute or so, but it was deeply unsettling. I do not know that I have ever felt so out of control. Fortunately, a worship song helped bring me around in short order. I don’t remember what the song was. I suppose it doesn’t really matter.  It’s reminder that my temporary problems were not the whole picture, helped me regain perspective. The pressures at work and home had not vanished, but that overwhelming moment passed. I was grateful … initially, that it did not last long! But seriously, beneath that immediate relief was a deeper gratitude: the sense that I was met in my distress and helped when I could not help myself. In a moment when I felt unable to regain my footing, the song gave me a reminder I desperately needed. The experience humbled me. There is nothing comfortable about discovering how quickly a small problem can become overwhelming when it lands on top of everything else. Yet that brief moment made my limits unmistakably clear. I could not simply will myself into feeling steady. I needed help, and I was grateful to receive it. Humility and gratitude met in that realization. Humility meant acknowledging that I was not in complete control. Gratitude meant recognizing the help that reached me there. I was not thankful for the distress itself, nor was I pretending that my problems no longer mattered. I was thankful that, in the middle of an unsettling experience, I found comfort and a renewed perspective. I share this not as formula for anyone else’s struggle. What helped me in that minute does not mean every difficult moment will be brief or resolved in the same way. But it has left me reflecting on something that God has had me ruminating over for quite some time on and off. God’s will for my life is much more about character than career choices, about holiness much more than happiness, about how I give so much more than what I get. Micah 6:8 says “He has shown you, oh man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God.” In the preceding verses, Micah asks what offering would be enough to bring before God, naming increasingly costly sacrifices. Verse 8 redirects the question from “What can I offer?” to “How should I live?” I’ve often thought that walking humbly with God ought to be listed first. After all, how can you know what justice and mercy are without knowing first who you are, positionally before The Awesome Creator of justice and mercy (and everything else!).  Living in relationship with God, acknowledging your limits and remaining willing to listen, learn, and be corrected. Humility here is not self-contempt; it is letting go of the assumption that you are entirely self-sufficient. My experience was a startling reminder of how easily I forget that I need Him.  To act justly is to treat people fairly and honestly, and put what is right into practice. Justice is more than having good intentions; it concerns our choices and how those choices affect others. To love mercy is to value kindness, compassion, and faithful love. The Hebrew word often translated as mercy or kindness, ḥesed, carries the sense of steadfast, loyal love—not simply an occasional act of generosity. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 Paul explains; “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” These verses are in the middle of his instructions to the church on how we should conduct ourselves as believers. Rejoice continually does not mean feeling happy every moment or hiding grief. Joy rests in God’s faithfulness rather than in our circumstances. Sorrow and joy can coexist as we abide in Christ.  Praying continually does not require speaking prayers every second. It describes a sustained relationship with God: returning to him throughout the day with needs, gratitude, questions, and concerns. Prayer becomes an ongoing orientation, not only a response to a crisis. Gratitude also becomes an ongoing orientation. Gratitude IN every circumstance, not necessarily gratitude FOR every circumstance. Paul’s instruction need not mean calling suffering good or denying its seriousness. It can mean recognizing companionship, help, comfort, or hope even while acknowledging that something is painful.  “For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”!  (The surrounding verses are worthy of your perusal, too. That’s your homework ! ) If you’ve ever asked that question before: “What’s God’s will for my life?”, now you know. It’s not that He doesn’t care about your career or who you marry or how you will retire. He most certainly does. But He is so much more interested in conforming you and I into the image of His beloved Son than any of those other things. And He gives us opportunities every day to live His will for us out. 

nforming you and I into the image of His beloved Son than any of those other things. And He gives us opportunities every day to live His will for us out.