How Can I Know God’s Will For My Life?

“May the God of peace … equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ." 
- Hebrews 13:20-21

Last ­­Tuesday was a hard day for my family. Our Welsh Corgi, Molly, had been part of our home for almost 12 years. We adopted her when she was just a few months old. My oldest daughter Kayla was just 6 at the time, and my second daughter Haley had just turned 4. But one night a few weeks ago, Molly had a seizure. We took her to two vets, who gave her IV fluids and some medication, but her health declined rapidly. And then, last Tuesday morning, Molly fell over and began kicking all four of her legs frantically. She couldn’t stand up. Her breathing was rapid and labored. So, we made her as comfortable as we knew how. We fed her one last meal of chicken and a popsicle for dessert. And Haley, now 16, carried Molly one last time. She carried her to our van, and together we took her for her last trip to the vet.

Over the past 12 years we’ve had a lot of pets in our home: fish, a desert tortoise, a red crested gecko and about a half dozen hamsters. But every member of my family would agree that Molly was, hands down, the best pet we’ve ever had. And we believe that God made Molly for our family. God gave her to us to make us smile and laugh, and—every once in a while— to drive us crazy. But most importantly, God gave us Molly to love us with all of her little doggy heart. And she did. The Bible doesn’t say whether or not all dogs go to heaven, but if Molly got to meet Jesus last week, I have a hunch that Jesus said to her, “Well done, good and faithful Corgi.”

We wonder: If I know God’s will for my dog’s life, then why can’t I know God’s will for my life? Doesn’t the Bible say that I’m more important to God than a dog? Yes, it does. Doesn’t the Bible say that God creates each of us and has a plan for us? Yes, it does. Great! Then what is it? Ultimately, the answer to our question is in the Bible. How can I know God’s will for my life? I can know it by searching the pages of God’s word. After all, we call the “BIBLE” our “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” for a reason. The answer to your question is right there in His word … but you have to put in some effort to find it.

However, in some important ways, God wants the same thing for all of us. Hebrews 13:20-21 says, “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Now, that’s a mouthful. But three very important truths are revealed in these verses.

1. God doesn’t just give you a purpose. He also equips you to carry out that purpose. You can take comfort in knowing that whatever God asks you to do, he will equip you to do. As has often been said, “Where God guides, He provides.” And “God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips those He’s called.” So, you don’t have to live in fear worrying that God is going to call you to do all sorts of things that you’re completely inept at doing. If God calls you to do something, He will equip you to do it effectively.

2. Your greatest accomplishments in this life will be the result of God working in you and through you. You won’t be doing God’s work alone. He will work in you and through you to carry out His purposes. That’s great news, don’t you think?

3. Ultimately, God’s will for your life is to bring Him pleasure and glory. You might feel unable to bring God pleasure and glory with your life. But God will equip you to do that too. If you’ll let Him, God will work in you and through you to bring Himself pleasure and glory. A favorite Bible passage for many people is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Remember those words: “Trust in the LORD.”

The great theologian Jonathan Edwards spent years searching the pages of Scripture for the answer to the question: What is God’s will for my life? And he concluded that God’s will is twofold: to bring God glory with our lives, and to find our greatest pleasure and joy in Him. After years of study, he came to realize that these two purposes are one and the same. As Pastor John Piper says it: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” The bottom line is this: God’s will for your life is for you to enjoy bringing Him pleasure and glory. That’s why you were created: To enjoy bringing pleasure and glory to God.

As you open God’s word each day to get to know Him better and learn His will for your life, guess what? The very act of learning God’s word and spending time with Him IS God’s will for your life. When you spend time with God in prayer, that IS God’s will for your life. When you prioritize attending a worship service on the Lord’s day, that IS God’s will for your life. When you give of yourself to love and serve others, that IS God’s will for your life. When you trust Jesus Christ and love Jesus Christ and obey Christ’s commands, that IS God’s will for your life. And that isn’t just God’s will for your life. That is also God’s will for your marriage, and for your family, and for our church, and for our nation.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our online worship service tomorrow at

10 a.m. at Live.GreaterImpact.cc or on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook.