1 Thessalonians 5:1-28

The Will of God

“What is God’s will for my life?” I can’t start to tell you how many times I’ve heard that question. Unfortunately, I don’t hear it as often now as I used to. Perhaps the reason I don’t hear it so often is because, being older, my peers tend to have found the answer to that question already. I hope that is the case rather than thinking that we no longer care as much as we once did.

Before I go any further let me hop down a brief bunny trail by pointing out a couple of very revealing verses from this passage. “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Memorize these. Keep them in your heart for the next time someone tries to convince you that they have figured out when the Lord will return. If they have figured it out then He wouldn’t be coming like a thief in the night, now would He?

Back to the “will of God” question. It’s actually quite simple. We make it hard because we turn it into something along the lines of, “What meaningful thing has God designed me for?” We are thinking of a task of sorts. He has designed us for something very meaningful; however, the task is nowhere near the most important part of His will for us. 

The Bible is quite clear about God’s will in several places, but this passage has a particularly clear instruction. “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” If we will simply do this then the task part will essentially take care of itself.

I have just finished a biography of the famous German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was murdered by the Nazis at the age of 39 toward the end of WWII as the Allies were closing in on the concentration camp to which he had recently been moved. It was actually quite tragic, especially to his aged parents and young fiancee, as well as quite arbitrary and seemingly unnecessary. 

Bonhoeffer’s theology was still in the formation stages at this point in his life but even so he has become quite influential, particularly in the realm of discipleship. We know almost nothing from his personal writings regarding his last few weeks of imprisonment, but we have a fair amount of first person observations from his fellow prisoners. What is clear is that even in these most trying of circumstances, the like of which few can ever expect to see, he was constant in his daily devotions and brought a level of encouragement and even joy to all of those around him. When the end came he faced it with no bitterness but confident hope.

That is the will of God for all of His children. Not that we will all die a martyr in a concentration camp, but that we will all be joyful, thankful, and prayerful. The rest will take care of itself.