You should not make major decisions in life without consulting wise counselors. Give much weight to advice from pastors, parents, and friends who have walked with the Lord for a long time. As you do, be sure not to stack the deck one way by asking advice from people who will tell you what you want to hear. 

How do I know whether to marry this person or choose this or that career? Does God have desires about these decisions? Of course He does. We use the phrase “God’s will” to refer to these desires. God is not AI that coldly calculates a direction based on probability and past outcomes of similar situations. He has desires. He grieves, loves, weeps and wills. As Christians, we want to know what God wants in every decision we make. But how?

His Word directs us in the moral right and wrong. These are easy (to know). But I’m not talking about those situations. I’m talking about the times that I really struggle with which way to go when the answer is not a moral right or wrong. 

Does God have a desire about serving as a Pastor in NYC instead of Dubai? Some subjectivity comes into play. But I believe the Bible speaks to us about God’s desires in these situations too. We can have a confident certainty of God’s desire in those difficult life decisions.

Consider five Bible principles that help us discern God’s desires in these hard-to-discern life decisions. I’ll put them into the acrostic PILLAR to help you remember. Base your decision on these pillars.

P – Providence: How Has God Led to This Point?

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:8-11 emphasis added).

Providence comes from the Latin words ‘to see’ and ‘before.’ God sees beforehand what will happen in our lives and is in control of these circumstances (Psalm 135:6; Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11). 

What a comforting thought!  Your life is not a haphazard group of accidents. God directs in and through the general circumstances surrounding our lives to lead us in His will. Look again at the phrase in bold from Ephesians 1 above. How many things does God work together for His will? In God’s wisdom and insight, He can cause all things to work together for His will. All things are included (Romans 8:28).

How has the Lord guided in your life up to the point. Has He opened an opportunity for you? In what ways has He gifted you? Who has He placed in your life to help you? There are many ways to look at your current circumstances and honestly assess how the Lord has been leading.

If you know the Lord is guiding your steps, then you can look back at the path of your life up to this point and see which way He is moving your path forward. Take a look at your life from a vertical perspective. Look down on the footsteps so far and see if you can follow the natural trajectory of where God is directing your steps forward.

I – Inclination: What Desire Has God Given You?

“Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

David encourages us to find our delight, our nourishment and our life’s refreshment in God. “Delight yourself in the Lord…” This is a primary factor in determining God’s will.

Do you love Him? That is reflected in your obedience. But, beyond that, does He have your affections? Do you truly delight in Him? Do you spend time with Him by talking with Him in prayer, and listening to Him as you read His Word? Is your relationship with God a delight? 

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