Our Guiding Father

I’m sure we’ve all been in a place where we’d like to know the exact will of God for our lives. I’ve found myself there plenty of times. It’s typically a situation where I have a couple of options and I want to know the right one and I just want him to tell me. Sound familiar? At the same time, I worry that if I choose the wrong one then I could totally screw up my life—and now my wife and daughters’ lives as well. Yet, it seems as though God stays silent.

Packer helps us understand how to know God’s will in Chapter 20. This chapter reminded me a lot of another book that radically changed my life called Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung. Packer and DeYoung essentially say the same thing. God has revealed his will to us in the Bible. Most of the time he’s not going to flat out tell you if choice A or choice B is right. Instead, ask yourself, “Does this contradict anything in Scripture?” If it does, don’t do that one. If neither choice does then pray, seek wisdom from others, and just do something!

Packer points out that sometimes we’re going to make the wrong choice. Sometimes our choice may have consequences we never saw coming. Have we then screwed up our lives? Simply put, no. God is still sovereign. He still uses all things for our good and his glory. It may be a rough and bumpy road at times, but the Father who gave his only Son so we could be made sons and daughters still has us in his hands. He is gracious, merciful, and will guide us home.