I’ve always struggled with God’s will.
Thinking of God’s will in narrow terms, I’ve sought this mysterious thing with great anxiety, treating it like an object to be found. For much of my life, the will of God has been a non-flexible path laid out before the world’s foundation. And it is to be followed….or else.
Thankfully, I’ve discovered a better way to understand his will.
Love manifest
Instead of seeing God’s will as a rigid plan, I’m embracing the perspective of the late Dutch priest and writer, Henri Nouwen.
Nouwen doesn’t deny that God has a desired direction for our lives. But discerning the will of God is less about acquiring hidden knowledge than it is about encountering the lover of our souls.
God’s will is the “unique way in which God’s love is manifest in our life.”
It’s the places where his love shows up, where we see him at work. Where he is pressing in on us. And he is always pressing in on us—willing to reveal his loving presence in our lives.
Looking for Love
In our hunt for the will of God don’t look for a narrow path with great anxiety.
Look for God’s will as his “concrete ways of loving us and our world.” Look for these tangible reminders, these whispers of his presence and his love. And do be surprised when you find what you’re looking for.
Take the pressure off of finding a narrow path.
Look expectantly for the concrete manifestation of God’s vast love.