Navigating God's Will in Times of Uncertainty
Navigating God's will, especially during periods of uncertainty, is a recurring theme in Christian thought, emphasizing wisdom, discernment, and trust in divine providence. Believers are encouraged to understand God's will [2] and to walk wisely, "redeeming the time" [3].
The concept of God's will encompasses both His secret, unrevealed decrees and His expressed desires for human conduct. The secret will of God, according to John Gill, is the "rule of all his proceedings" and is often unknown to humanity until it unfolds through events [5]. This divine counsel, particularly concerning the salvation of His people, is immutable [7]. In a broader sense, God's providence directs the "goings" of humanity, influencing natural movements, civil affairs, and the overall course of life [8].
Discerning God's will involves active engagement and spiritual wisdom. Ephesians 5:17 exhorts believers not to be unwise but to understand what the will of God is [2]. John Gill interprets this as a call for believers to avoid acting unwisely in their speech, conduct, and use of time, emphasizing that those ignorant of God's will are considered unwise [5]. Matthew Henry notes that while a wise person's heart "discerns time and judgment," few possess this wisdom, and even the wisest can be surprised by unforeseen calamities. Therefore, preparation for sudden changes is crucial [12].
In times of uncertainty, the Bible encourages watchfulness and prayer. Mark 13:33 advises, "Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don’t know when the time is" [1]. This highlights the unpredictable nature of future events and the need for constant spiritual readiness. When faced with multiple paths, believers are directed to "stand... and see," using the Scriptures as a "way mark" to guide their decisions [9]. God is understood to lead individuals "by the right way," guiding them to salvation through Christ and enabling them to walk by faith [10].
The practical outworking of God's will often involves suffering for righteousness' sake. Adam Clarke, commenting on 1 Peter 4:19, states that suffering "according to the will of God" means enduring hardship for righteousness and responding to reviling without retaliation. In such circumstances, believers are to commit their souls to God, trusting in His faithfulness as their Creator and Preserver [6]. This commitment implies placing one's life confidently in God's hands, believing He will fulfill His promises and provide for those who walk uprightly [6].
Walking "worthy of the Lord" is another aspect of living in accordance with God's will [11]. This involves walking by faith in Christ, following His Spirit, adhering to His word and ordinances, and maintaining a conversation that aligns with the Gospel. This practical application of knowledge is essential, as knowledge without practice is considered insufficient [11]. The name "Uel," meaning "desiring God," further underscores the importance of seeking and aligning with God's will [4].
Sources
- Mark “Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don’t know when the time is. -- Mark 13:33”
- Ephesians “Ephesians 5:17 (DRC) — Wherefore, become not unwise: but understanding what is the will of God.”
- Colossians “Colossians 4:5 (LITV) — Walk in wisdom toward the ones outside, redeeming the time.”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Uel — desiring God”
- Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 5:15: Wherefore be ye not unwise,.... No one would be thought to be unwise, but such are, who do not redeem time, and are ignorant of the will of the Lord; believers should not act the unwise part, neither in their talk, nor in their walk and conversation, nor in their use of time: but understanding what the will of the Lord is; or "of God", as read the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions: there is the secret will of God, which is the rule of all his proceedings; and is unknown to men, till facts make it appear; this is always fulfilled, ”
- 1 Peter (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 Peter 4:19: Suffer according to the will of God - A man suffers according to the will of God who suffers for righteousness' sake; and who, being reviled, reviles not again. Commit the keeping of their souls - Place their lives confidently in his hand, who, being their Creator, will also be their preserver, and keep that safely which is committed to his trust. God is here represented as faithful, because he will always fulfill his promises, and withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly. But they had no reason to hope that he would care for their lives and souls unles”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 6:16: Wherein God, willing,.... Or "wherefore", as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it; that is, whereas an oath is used among men to confirm anything that might be doubted; therefore God, in condescension to the weakness of men, made use of one; being very desirous and determined, more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel; by which is meant, not the Gospel nor the ordinances of it, though these are sometimes called the counsel of God; but the decree of God, concerning the salvation of his people by Jesus Christ, which is im”
- Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 20:24: Man's goings are of the Lord,.... In a natural and literal sense, the instruments of going are of the Lord; the act of motion from place to place is not without the concourse of his providence; as in him we live, and move, and have our being, so "in and by him we move"; he preserves our going out and coming in; and as the preservation, so the success and prosperity of journeying are owing to his providence, and the whole is under his care and direction: and so likewise, in a civil sense, all the civil concerns, business, and actions of life, are guided by his provi”
- Jeremiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Jeremiah 6:16: Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see,.... These are the words of the Lord to the people, whom he would have judge for themselves, and not be blindly led by the false prophets and priests; directing them to do what men should, when they are in a place where two or more ways meet, and know not which way to take; they should make a short stop, and look to the way mark or way post, which points whither each path leads, and so accordingly proceed. Now, in religious things, the Scriptures are the way mark to direct us which way we should take: if the inquiry”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 107:6: And he led them forth by the right way,.... Thus God by his providence directs travellers that have lost their way, and puts them into the right way. There is no doubt a very great concern of Providence in such a case, and which ought to be acknowledged with thankfulness. And thus the Lord leads awakened and inquiring souls to the right way of salvation; to Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life; and directs and enables them to believe in him, to walk by faith, and to continue to walk in him, as they have received him; and which is a plain and straight way, ”
- Colossians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Colossians 1:10: That ye might walk worthy of the Lord,.... The Vulgate Latin version reads, "of God"; to which the Ethiopic version agrees; but rather the Lord Jesus Christ seems to be designed: and to "walk worthy" of him, is to walk by faith in him; to walk after his Spirit, and according to his word, and in his ordinances; to have the conversation as becomes his Gospel, and worthy of that calling wherewith the saints are called by grace to the obtaining of his kingdom and glory. The apostle prays that their knowledge might issue in practice; for knowledge, without practice, is”
- Ecclesiastes (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 8:6: Solomon had said (Ecc 8:5) that a wise man's heart discerns time and judgment, that is, a man's wisdom will go a great way, by the blessing of God, in moral prognostications; but here he shows that few have that wisdom, and that even the wisest may yet be surprised by a calamity which they had not any foresight of, and therefore it is our wisdom to expect and prepare for sudden changes. Observe, 1. All the events concerning us, with the exact time of them, are determined and appointed in the counsel and foreknowledge of God, and all in wisdom: To every purpos”