God's Will

  • Examining the Preceptive Will of God

    During the next few days, read Psalm 119, which praises the preceptive will of God as revealed in His written Word.Read More

  • Comprehending the Decretive Will of God

    Read Genesis 1, observing how God repeatedly exercised His sovereign, efficacious will in creation.Read More

  • Defining God’s Will

    What is your response to the questions raised in this reading: How does God “will” the presence of evil and suffering? Is He the immediate cause of evil? Does He do evil? Read More

  • Jesus Laments Over Jerusalem

    Matthew 23:37–39

    We are not perfectly holy and have no inherent right to execute wrath. How then can we take pleasure in the death of the sinner if God finds no pleasure in the death of the wicked? Our hearts should be ...Read More

  • Knowing God’s Will

    1 Thessalonians 4:1–12

    What is God’s will for my life? The simple answer is that His will for my life is that I be holy. This is easy to affirm with our lips, but it is very difficult to have it take ...Read More

  • God’s Revealed Will

    Psalm 119:105

    If we have diligently searched the Scriptures and discover that we have several legitimate options for a spouse, vocation, place to live, and so on, then we are to choose the one we like best. This is one way the ...Read More

  • God’s Hidden Will

    Job 9:1–10

    Many people practice divination in hope of seeing the future (ordained in God’s hidden decrees). Reformed believers may not be inclined to this sin, but we can be too occupied with His hidden will and lapse into hyper-Calvinism. For ...Read More

  • God Speaks to Jacob

    Genesis 31:3

    Sometimes we sense divine Providence indicating a move for us to make. A new job offer might present itself. Maybe a relationship is pointing toward marriage. Investment prospects may be “golden opportunities” for growing our resources. God will often direct ...Read More

  • Jacob Outwits Laban

    Genesis 30:37–43

    It is a great comfort to know that when the Lord purposes to bless us, there is nothing that can stop Him. We who confess Him never take this for granted, but live holy lives in gratitude for choosing us ...Read More

  • A Servant’s Prayer

    Genesis 24:10–14

    Matthew Henry writes, “Those who would have good success must pray for it.” Prayer is essential for determining the will of God, but the Lord will never lead us to make a choice contrary to the clear teachings of Scripture ...Read More

  • The Confidence We Have

    1 John 5:14–15

    God’s will is always accomplished, and we must remember that our prayers are meaningfully used by God to bring about His purposes. God has decided to use us to accomplish His ordained ends, and this privilege should move us ...Read More

  • Passing Away

    1 John 2:17

    The decay we see around us every day bears witness that this world will not last forever. Indeed, the new age that began with the coming of Christ will one day be consummated in a new heavens and a new ...Read More

  • Vessels of Destruction

    Romans 9:14–24

    Many misunderstand Reformed theology to say that God forces some to go to hell against their will. Though God does indeed pass over some people, He never acts apart from their desires. In our natural state since the fall, all ...Read More

  • Suprised by Suffering

    Genesis 50:15–21

    When we come to the issue of suffering, we can see how God’s sovereignty is a comfort to us. Because He is in full control of all events past, present, and future, we know that ultimately there can be ...Read More

  • If the Lord Wills

    James 4:13–16

    The call to recognize God’s sovereign will over the future is incumbent upon the rich and poor alike. And though the statement “Lord willing” is not a magic phrase conveying absolute trust in God, it is often true that ...Read More