Imagine Jesus standing right in front of you at this very moment. He is waiting for you to ask him a question. Any question. If you were given the opportunity to ask Jesus anything at this moment in time, as you are about to graduate, what question would you ask? I would wager that most of you would ask him a question related to his future plans for your life. And, if he answered you, and told you what you were to do in the future, would you be willing to do what he said?
The Apostle Paul discovered God’s will for his life and responded to that knowledge by doing what God wanted him to do. He wrote in 2 Timothy 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus” (ESV). According to this passage, there was a divine plan or will for Paul’s life. The Prophet Jeremiah believed that God has a plan for every person and that his will is possible to discover. In Jeremiah 29:11 we read, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (ESV).
Paul discovered God’s will for himself and you can too. There is a plan. It’s discoverable. And, it’s rewarding. They are future plans that include the promise of an abundant life. God’s will is the best plan for your life.
This plan for your life includes the person of Jesus Christ. Actually, this plan for your life, which is offered freely, is his plan for why you were created. Like Gollum’s ring in the story Lord of the Rings, it wants to be found. God wants you to discover it. He doesn’t want you to stumble around in the darkness unaware of his plans for your life. He wants you to discover your purpose and direction in life, and he wants you to experience it in all its fullness. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full,” Jesus declared (John 10:10 ESV). However, there is a caveat. It can only be found by faith in Jesus Christ.
Seize the Day
In Horace’s poem Odes the popular aphorism “Carpe Diem” is found. This Latin phrase means to “seize the day.” It refers to the attitude toward life of getting the most out of each moment. “Carpe” literally means to grab as in grabbing a piece of fruit. We are to grab life and squeeze all the juice out of it we can. This aphorism comes from the full phrase “Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero,” which translates into: “Seize the day, putting as little trust as possible in the next day.” It’s an axiom declaring we should not to waste a single moment in time because there is no promise of a tomorrow.
In another poem entitled, “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” written by seventeen-century poet Robert Herrick, we find in the opening stanza this verse: “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” It’s an exhortation to young people to enjoy life before it’s too late. Inspired by this poem, John William Waterhouse painted a famous picture entitled “Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May.” It pictures two young women joyously picking roses in a garden while the flowers are in full bloom. The popular maxim “Stop and smell the roses” finds its inspiration in this poem and painting.
The idea of enjoying life without an afterthought for tomorrow is also mentioned in the Bible by the Prophet Isaiah. He wrote, “And behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine. ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (Isa 22:13 ESV). Isaiah was quoting a commonly used pagan phrase popular in his day.
What if There is no Cosmic Plan?
That there is no plan for one’s future leaves a person with the only option of squeezing all the juice they can from today because there’s no guarantee of a tomorrow. Such a belief reveals a lack of faith in God. It ignores that he has a plan for our lives. Horace couldn’t trust that tomorrow would come. Herrick was struck by the brevity of life. But for Isaiah, such a statement was downright false.
When faith in Christ doesn’t exist, there is no hope of a future plan succeeding. If God isn’t at the core of our existence, we end up directionless and without purpose. A life devoid of faith in God has no defense against wasting life through lasciviousness and glutinous revelry. Rather than truly enjoying life “Carpe Diem,” when understood outside of the purposes of God, simply means: live for today’s pleasures, waste your time on worthless and temporary excitement, and don’t consider what future consequences may come from such an irresponsible lifestyle. If there’s no guarantee of a future day, why make plans?
Paul found God’s will. Jeremiah claims there is a plan for our lives. Is it possible to discover our purpose in life? Can we enjoy this life, get the most out of it, and live by faith all at the same time? Yes, we can. The only way to live life to its fullness is to place our faith in the one who knows and controls tomorrow.
Three Approaches to Finding God’s Will
I have found three approaches to life that attempt to discover God’s will for the future, but only one of them has guided me into his amazing future plans. First, some think God’s plan is an enormous impersonal blueprint. If they could only find that oversized spiritual computer, search alphabetically for their celestial file, and copy it to a personal thumb drive, then they could always know God’s particular will and guidance. It’s all about a hidden knowledge that only a select few are capable of finding.
Second, others tell us to get in touch with our emotions. Life is all about experiences and feelings. After winning a world event, the first question a reporter asks the successful athlete is “How do you feel at this moment?” It’s as though the goal of life is about personal feelings of satisfaction. “Look for an emotion to guide you,” they say. Some seek the feeling of peace regarding a matter. “Peace is the guide for determining God’s will,” we are told. Yet, great leaders are rarely driven by peaceful feelings. It’s their convictions that drive their passions and not the other way around. I don’t think Jesus felt peaceful on the cross when he cried out in agony asking why his Father had abandoned him. Truth be told, feelings are the easiest thing to manipulate and the hardest thing to keep constant. Thinking an impersonal destiny or fate will guide you or trying to follow feelings to reveal your future isn’t helpful in the long run. There must be a better way to secure a knowledge of God’s will.
A close friend of mine who loved sailing taught me a seafaring metaphor. God’s will is like steering a sailboat. Once out of the safety of the harbor the captain locates buoys as guides for navigating to his destination. The Bible is full of buoys. Buoys represent biblical principles designed to set parameters for safely navigating life’s decisions. God is pleased when we seek his navigational signs and stay within his moral markers. Understanding divine guidance based on eternal principles allows for variety, creativity, and adventure without compromising God’s moral standards and crashing into hidden rocks or being blown off course by a disastrous storm.
This is a healthy model for knowing God’s will. It reminds us that maturity means making responsible choices within God’s parameters. It highlights the need for faith. Without a Spirit-filled wind in our sails, we won’t reach our destination. If we don’t follow God’s buoys we will miss the greatest adventure: discovering God’s incredible plan for our lives. We might never experience the greatest pleasure possible, which is to feel and know that God is pleased with our choices.
Delight in the Lord
As a result of trusting in God and making our goal in life to please him, he offers us an incredible benefit. The Psalmist sang, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps 37:4 ESV). Again, he sang, “May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!” (Ps 20:4 ESV). The promise of Scripture is if we make God our heart’s desire he will abundantly fulfill that desire. We will know him and be known by him. We will know his plan for our lives and by his grace fulfill that plan.
Making plans for the future is a daunting task. It’s full of dangers, pitfalls, troubles, disappointments, and even mistakes. No one is capable of predicting the future. Only God, who orchestrates people and events in such a manner that they are positioned to glorify and enjoy him, is able to make future plans that will surely come to pass. Glorifying and enjoying God are essentially the same thing. To make him the desire of your heart is to enjoy him and at the same time give him the highest glory.
A young man was feeling insecure about God’s plan for his life and asked an older gentleman to help him find God’s will. The old man approached a rosebush, found a bud that remained tightly closed, and clipped it off the branch. The old man asked him to open the flower without tearing any of the petals. The young man looked at the older man in disbelief as he struggled in vain to figure out how to open a rosebud without ripping or tearing off its petals. “How could this possibly relate to knowing God’s will,” he wondered. And yet, out of respect for the old guy, he tried his best to unfold the rose, but to no avail.
The older man saw the frustration on the young man’s face and responded, “It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower designed by God. Yet, you cannot unfold its petals with your clumsy hands. The secret to unfolding a rosebud isn’t known to humans. Only God unfolds the sweetly smelling blossom of a rose. If you cannot unfold a simple rosebud how can you hope to fathom God’s future for you? His will, like the rosebud, will open to you one day at a time. In the meantime, we are to daily trust in him to reveal the beauty of his plan for our lives.”
With each passing moment, trial, and adventure your faith in the grace and mercy of God grows. Only the heavenly Father knows the pathway lying before you. Therefore, make your decision based on his buoy markers. Desire to know him. And watch as he reveals your future and his will. With each individual choice you make in faith that he is guiding you, his will becomes clearer and your life more aligned with his purposes. Just as he unfolds the beauty of the rosebud so he will reveal your calling in life. The Prophet Micah learned what it meant to walk through life fulfilling God’s will. He wrote, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8 ESV).
