Can You Determine the Will of God for Specific Events in Your Life?

[Skipper80]

We know God's will for our life in the broad sense, of course:

1 Timothy 2:3–4 (ESV)
“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise... He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV)
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.”

Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)
“...present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God... Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Peter 2:15 (ESV)
“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Micah 6:8 (NIV)
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

John 13:34–35 (NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples...”

Matthew 22:37–39 (ESV)
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

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BUT, WHAT ABOUT SPECIFIC EVENTS IN YOUR LIFE?

Specific daily events that are trivial compared to the concepts and commands in these Bible verses.

For example, if my car broke down as I was going to the coffee shop to get coffee, am I right in saying it was God's will for the car to break down?

What are your thoughts, guys?

 

[SavedByGrace3]

We know God's will for our life in the broad sense, of course:

1 Timothy 2:3–4 (ESV)
“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise... He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV)
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.”

Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)
“...present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God... Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Peter 2:15 (ESV)
“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Micah 6:8 (NIV)
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

John 13:34–35 (NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples...”

Matthew 22:37–39 (ESV)
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

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BUT, WHAT ABOUT SPECIFIC EVENTS IN YOUR LIFE?

Specific daily events that are trivial compared to the concepts and commands in these Bible verses.

For example, if my car broke down as I was going to the coffee shop to get coffee, am I right in saying it was God's will for the car to break down?

What are your thoughts, guys?

It starts by obeying what you know to do. Don't sin. Don't go places you know you should not go to. Don't be with people the word says don't be with. Love as much as possible when they let you. Do what he says! This will serve to condition your spirit to hear what God says. If you are not willing to do what you know what to do, it could be hard for you to hear living words.

Luke 16:28-31 KJV
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

As far as events in your life being God speaking to you. I do not see this as true. Things happen to people in the "course of nature." IOWs, stuff just happens. People get the flu because the virus is in the air and you breathed it in. Someone went through a stop sign and bashed your car. A an axe head came loose and killed someone. This is not God talking to you. This is just stuff happening. Accidents. Chance occurrences. These are solid scriptural teaching.
There is the discussion "is God in control of everything." Some insist that for "God to be God" he has to be in control of everything from the rotation of electrons around an atom to the collision of Galaxies. I believe that when God created the universe He instituted rules that would guide creation. These are the rules of the course of nature. God's role at this time is one of an interviener, not an orchestrator. Not everything that happens is His hand. For instance there is the law of reaping and sowing. Can God intervene and change the course of events? Of course! But we need to understand that these are interventions, not orchestrations. Salvation is an intervention into the default state of lostness. Healing is an intervention against the default state of being sick. Delieverance is an intervention against the default state of being oppressed.
The point is that you cannot determine the will of God by things that happen in your life. Some are the result of the curse. You can only determine the will of God when He is acting.

 

[Skipper80]

It starts by obeying what you know to do. Don't sin. Don't go places you know you should not go to. Don't be with people the word says don't be with. Love as much as possible when they let you. Do what he says! This will serve to condition your spirit to hear what God says. If you are not willing to do what you know what to do, it could be hard for you to hear living words.

Luke 16:28-31 KJV
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

As far as events in your life being God speaking to you. I do not see this as true. Things happen to people in the "course of nature." IOWs, stuff just happens. People get the flu because the virus is in the air and you breathed it in. Someone went through a stop sign and bashed your car. A an axe head came loose and killed someone. This is not God talking to you. This is just stuff happening. Accidents. Chance occurrences. These are solid scriptural teaching.
There is the discussion "is God in control of everything." Some insist that for "God to be God" he has to be in control of everything from the rotation of electrons around an atom to the collision of Galaxies. I believe that when God created the universe He instituted rules that would guide creation. These are the rules of the course of nature. God's role at this time is one of an interviener, not an orchestrator. Not everything that happens is His hand. For instance there is the law of reaping and sowing. Can God intervene and change the course of events? Of course! But we need to understand that these are interventions, not orchestrations. Salvation is an intervention into the default state of lostness. Healing is an intervention against the default state of being sick. Delieverance is an intervention against the default state of being oppressed.
The point is that you cannot determine the will of God by things that happen in your life. Some are the result of the curse. You can only determine the will of God when He is acting.

I don't think we can obey the command to not sin. At least I can't, maybe there is someone perfect out there who has never sinned besides Jesus. I know to repent and to love as best I can. I think that is more relevant to the instruction for our lives than "do not sin."

God has a plan for one's whole life which I would say denotes Him as orchestrator still currently.

 

[Yarddog]

We know God's will for our life in the broad sense, of course:

1 Timothy 2:3–4 (ESV)
“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise... He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV)
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.”

Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)
“...present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God... Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Peter 2:15 (ESV)
“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Micah 6:8 (NIV)
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

John 13:34–35 (NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples...”

Matthew 22:37–39 (ESV)
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BUT, WHAT ABOUT SPECIFIC EVENTS IN YOUR LIFE?

Specific daily events that are trivial compared to the concepts and commands in these Bible verses.

For example, if my car broke down as I was going to the coffee shop to get coffee, am I right in saying it was God's will for the car to break down?

What are your thoughts, guys?

Sometimes but it is easier when you look back at a series of events. You can see how God was guiding you to a specific point.

 

[timothyu]

For example, if my car broke down as I was going to the coffee shop to get coffee, am I right in saying it was God's will for the car to break down?

Perhaps it is your reaction that God is interested in.

 

[linux.poet]

For example, if my car broke down as I was going to the coffee shop to get coffee, am I right in saying it was God's will for the car to break down?

Yes.

Isaiah 45:5-7
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me, so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the Lord do all these things.

And, the end of the Book of Job also says that God is in control of creation and events, and that we do not, as humans, have the right to question his control or blame other humans for God’s sovereign decisions.

 

[Richard T]

Absolutely God can give very specific guidance. For me a big area is geography. He tells me what city and country. Over the years, He has done this in many different ways. In some cases God also may give guidance to a specific employment opportunity. Life with God does not have to be random. There are many scriptures where God promises to lead and guide us. Here are a couple.

Isaiah 42:16 (NKJV) “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them,And not forsake them.”

Jeremiah 10:23 (NKJV) “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”

So in practical terms how do you get to the point of hearing God? You already heard Him regarding salvation, so guidance is just another step that He will take to order your life according to His will. Read books and scriptures about God's guidance to build you faith that He really does this. Then ask and expect Him to answer. I think where some get out of bounds on this is that they might hear things that they do not want like uprooting your life and moving somewhere. Sometimes too when we fail to act or even act like Jonah it grieves the Holy Spirit. The cure for those ignored items in the past is to ask forgiveness and move on. The important part though is your faith. Can you have faith for God to suggest a church? an event? a job? a new relationship? Can you shut the door on the old and embrace the new? Of course, God does not always tell you to move, many will have the same job and/or ministry for years.

For instance, I have been examining pastors that were called in the 1980s. I have found about seven that say that God called them to a specific town to start a church. Most lasted about 40 years, some are still going. In all cases the ones I found still have a church there that is effective if not the leading church of that city. The same town, the same church. Many of their stories are similar, just different places.

I admit too that circumstances can also dictate some things. Paul for some reason was forbidden by the Hoy Spirit to go to such and such places at some very specific times. Sometimes those that fail to act will get pushed out the door. If so, God does it because he loves that person and wants to give them a better opportunity.

 

[Fervent]

Perhaps, but are we sure that God has a specific intention for every trivial decision we make? It seems to me doing God's will is more about maintaining our integrety and preserving our witness rather than following a specified path. As for whether or not an event like your car breaking down falls under God's will for your life, that's a question that has done little good other than to foment division. If we lived as if everything that happened was God's will, we'd have no motivation to do anything because any action we take might put us at odds with God's will. So what does God will? Good for all who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

 

[Richard T]

Perhaps, but are we sure that God has a specific intention for every trivial decision we make? It seems to me doing God's will is more about maintaining our integrety and preserving our witness rather than following a specified path. As for whether or not an event like your car breaking down falls under God's will for your life, that's a question that has done little good other than to foment division. If we lived as if everything that happened was God's will, we'd have no motivation to do anything because any action we take might put us at odds with God's will. So what does God will? Good for all who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Excellent points. Some do say they hear the trivial. Perhaps so, sometimes God may just want to fellowship with you, give someone the assurance of something small to build their faith for something later, or just to love on them. I admit too that the main path to hearing God is to let the word of God show you your character and conduct. Still, if there are some significant decisions, of course ask the Lord.

 

[Confused-by-christianity]

For example, if my car broke down as I was going to the coffee shop to get coffee, am I right in saying it was God's will for the car to break down?

What are your thoughts, guys?

I dont do this sort of stuff anymore. i used to - i would drive and say "god, speak to me, show me a sign" and them i'd hear the word in my imagination "turn on the radio". I'd obey. Then, it would be some stupid rubbish on that makes no sense. It was all my imagination. This happened loads of times. hearing god in this way was very hit and miss.

I realised I have my work cut out for me in separating god from my imagination.

In the end - i decided on doing this.

I would pray, and i would give up my will, and in my heart, fully open and aspire to do god's will - in intention.

All i could give god was my intent to do his will, and once i'd done that - patiently listen and see if he said anything (i accepted that what i hear can be wrong - my accuracy can be hit or miss - but i should try anyway and accept the disappointments)