One of the most common struggles I hear when talking with people is the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” It’s one we’ve all wrestled with at one point or another. We feel this tension between the pull of the world, the pull of success, and even the pull of our own desires. And it’s easy to wonder where God and His perfect will falls into all of that.  

I was talking with a friend recently about two different choices she had to make. When presented with the two options she evaluated them closely. Neither was sinful, unethical, or wrong. Both had strong benefits for her and her family. Both presented opportunities that the other did not. She was stuck. 

When she called me, she conveyed her frustration as she worked through the two different options, and I had to agree, I didn’t have a good answer for her. “I just don’t know what God’s will is!’ she said frustrated. Then it hit me… “which choice will cause you to need Jesus more and lean on His strength instead of your own? Which one will bring Him more glory than you?”  

Silence met me from the other side of the line. When we started to frame both options in light of her relationship with Christ and not her relationship with the things and people of this world, all of the sudden a clear choice presented itself. Interestingly, it was not the one she might have chosen otherwise. But in the end, it was the right one.  

See, what my friend and I realized that day is that God’s will is much less about this world and more about the next. It’s about furthering HIS kingdom not our own. And it’s about drawing us near through the choices we make, the paths we walk, and the experiences we have. It’s about Him, not us.  

This realization has carried with me as I’ve thought through the different details of my life. See, we think we are in control. But the reality is that I can’t keep my heart pounding in my chest or my brain working in my head. If God so chose, I could be gone before writing out this devo. Every second of every day is a gift that I have zero control over. 

Now don’t mishear me. I do believe that God calls us to make plans and be looking to the future. But those plans and that future ALWAYS have to fall under His authority. That’s what James is saying in this passage. Notice that he doesn’t say it is foolish to plan. Instead, he says that we should plan with our hands held loosely to those plans and in full recognition of the authority of God. He gives us the example of saying, “If the Lord wills,” when we contemplate our plans.  

The amazing thing about our God is that, though He is so incredibly bigger than us, so cosmic, so amazing- still He longs to be a part of the intimate decisions, choices, and feelings of our life. He wants to walk with you as you journey through this life. He wants to hold your hand and have you lean on His strength. But it’s so incredibly important for us to remember that in the end, it’s HIS story not our own that is playing out. And we have the immense honor and privilege of getting to be a part of it!