The Aquila Report

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Coram Deo Conference - click for details
  • Biblical
    and Theological
  • Churches
    and Ministries
  • People
    in the News
  • World
    and Life News
  • Lifestyle
    and Reviews
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Music
  • Opinion
    and Commentary
  • General Assembly
    and Synod Reports
    • ARP General Synod
    • EPC General Assembly
    • OPC General Assembly
    • PCA General Assembly
    • PCUSA General Assembly
    • RPCNA Synod
    • URCNA Synod
  • Subscribe
    to Weekly Email
  • Biblical
    and Theological
  • Churches
    and Ministries
  • People
    in the News
  • World
    and Life News
  • Lifestyle
    and Reviews
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Music
  • Opinion
    and Commentary
  • General Assembly
    and Synod Reports
    • ARP General Synod
    • EPC General Assembly
    • OPC General Assembly
    • PCA General Assembly
    • PCUSA General Assembly
    • RPCNA Synod
    • URCNA Synod
  • Subscribe
    to Weekly Email
  • Search
Home/Featured/The Secret Will of God

The Secret Will of God

Christians confuse God's secret will with his revealed will.

Written by Paul Tripp | Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Bible is profitable for correcting – it gives us the steps of change we need to follow where God wants us to be. And the Bible is useful for training – it tells us all the skills we need to acquire to live life God’s way. God has revealed many things to us through his Word – just the right amount – and if we live by his revealed will, we can live at peace not knowing his secret will.

 

When you think about the will of God, what do you think? If you had to define the phrase – the will of God – what would you write?

I’m deeply persuaded that there are many Christians living in fear, anxiety, and confusion because they don’t know what the will of God is for their life. Are you one of them? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

  • Are you constantly searching for “hints” or “clues” about what God is doing?
  • Are you worried that you’re not at the exact place where God wants you?
  • Do you find it hard to make decisions because you’re not sure of God’s will?
  • Do you struggle to rest with the decisions you’ve made because you think you might have made a mistake?

I think many Christians make the mistake of acting on what they can never be sure of rather than relying on what they can know for sure. In other words, Christians confuse God’s secret will with his revealed will.

By no means is this Article encouraging you to stop praying or seeking after God – the Bible says on countless occasions to seek after him. But I’m afraid that we sometimes seek in the wrong places. Rather than resting within the clear limits of what God has made known to us, we search in the foggy, unrevealed, secret parts of God’s will and end up lost, confused, discouraged, and anxious.

The reason why theologians call God’s secret will a secret is precisely because it’s kept secret from us! God’s sovereign plan for the universe hasn’t been revealed to us. Yet God hasn’t left us without guidance – he has given us his Word.

The Apostle Paul reminded Timothy of what a helpful book the Bible is. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Read More

Related Posts:

  • Secret Things and Revealed Things
  • Not a Mystic
  • Four Guiding Principles to Reading the Bible Well
  • A Godly Man is "Full of Knowledge"
  • 3 Good Things to Do When You Need to Make a Decision

Subscribe to Free “Top 10 Stories” Email

Get the top 10 stories from The Aquila Report in your inbox every Tuesday morning.

Name(Required)

Archives

Subscribe, Follow, Listen

  • email-alt
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • apple-podcasts
  • anchor
Belhaven University
Coram Deo Conference - click for details

Books

Tool Small by Craig Biehl - Why Atheists Can't Know What They Say They Know
Drawing Water with Joy: 100 Devotions from the Wells of Salvation - click for details
Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life - by Charlie Kirk
  • About
  • Advertise Here
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Email Alerts
  • Leadership
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Principles and Practices
  • Privacy Policy

Free Subscription

Aquila Report Email Alerts

Books

The Letter of Jude - book from Tulip Publishing
  • About
  • Advertise Here
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Principles and Practices
  • RSS Feed
  • Subscribe to Weekly Email Alerts

DISCLAIMER: The Aquila Report is a news and information resource. We welcome commentary from readers; for more information visit our Letters to the Editor link. All our content, including commentary and opinion, is intended to be information for our readers and does not necessarily indicate an endorsement by The Aquila Report or its governing board. In order to provide this website free of charge to our readers,  Aquila Report uses a combination of donations, advertisements and affiliate marketing links to  pay its operating costs.

Return to top of page

Website design by Five More Talents · Copyright © 2026 The Aquila Report · Log in