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God's Will: Finding Guidance for Everyday Decisions
Seeking God's guidance is a focus for many believers. We want to know what God has planned for our lives. Are we making the right decision? Are we in his will? For some people, knowing God is guiding their lives makes them relax and enjoy the ride. But others fear making the wrong choice and find themselves paralyzed as they wait for signs from above.
J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom answer these fears with God's Will. With solid biblical footing, they shed light on the notion of God's guidance in response to the many misunderstandings well-meaning Christians can have. Readers seeking God's will in major life decisions, as well as anyone interested in understanding how God guides us, will welcome this practical and inspiring book.
J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom answer these fears with God's Will. With solid biblical footing, they shed light on the notion of God's guidance in response to the many misunderstandings well-meaning Christians can have. Readers seeking God's will in major life decisions, as well as anyone interested in understanding how God guides us, will welcome this practical and inspiring book.
301 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
56 people are currently reading
286 people want to read
About the author
J.I. Packer
446 books926 followersWhat do J. I. Packer, Billy Graham and Richard John Neuhaus have in common? Each was recently named by TIME magazine as among the 25 most influential evangelicals in America.
Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”
Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”
In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”
For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.
(https://www.regent-college.edu/facult...)
Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”
Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”
In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”
For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.
(https://www.regent-college.edu/facult...)
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November 27, 2012
J.I. Packer, author of the Christian classic Knowing God, tackles the issue of discerning the will of God.
In the past few months, I've read several books on this topic. There seem to be two main camps--those who allow for extrabiblical guidance (that is, the supernatural or 'felt' leading of the Holy Spirit) and those who do not. The issue works itself out primarily in the realm of decisions where sin is not implicated, i.e., what college to attend, where to eat lunch, what socks to wear, etc.
Writers like Philip Cary (Good News for Anxious Christians, which I have not gotten around to reviewing yet) believe that the sum total of God's guidance is contained in the Scripture. Thus, God has given us guidance on how to be obedient to Him and live well. If the Bible does not address the issue, then it is up to us to use our intelligence to make an informed choice. (Under this view, it would seem that the Holy Spirit's work in Scripture ended with the original inspiration; there does not appear to be any allowance for the Holy Spirit's continuing work in applying the Word to the individual lives of believers.) A similar position is articulated by Kevin DeYoung in Just Do Something and by Phillip Jensen in Guidance and the Voice of God (which my church uses in its Sunday School class on guidance). DeYoung and Jensen are not quite so militant in their opposition to perceived extrabiblical guidance as Cary, but they clearly view such phenomena with skepticism and disinterest.
At the other end of the spectrum, Dallas Willard (Hearing God) believes that God may give guidance even where sin is not implicated, and that believers should be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in such areas. Willard does not claim that God always gives such guidance--only that He may, and that Christians should, essentially, give Him a chance to weigh in on the matter. If no guidance is forthcoming, then the Christian may make a decision guided by intelligence and even our own desire. It is worth noting that Willard--and, I would hope, all orthodox writers--would oppose any perceived 'guidance' contrary to Scripture. So, if a man claims that the Holy Spirit is 'leading' him to cheat on his wife, he is, quite simply, mistaken. The Word of God is the only certain source of guidance; the Holy Spirit may occasionally supplement it, but will never, ever contradict it.
Fortunately, there are some writers who take a more moderate position. Sinclair Ferguson has written what is, thus far, my favorite book on the subject: Discovering God's Will. Ferguson allows for the possibility of supernatural guidance, but points out that such guidance will be facilitated by faithful study of Scripture. After all, we are fallen and sinful and may thus mistake our own desires for the 'leading' of the Holy Spirit. The Bible, on the other hand, is inerrant, and by knowing it well we can better test the 'leadings' we feel. And anyway, we can't very well expect God to reveal His will to us supernaturally if we neglect His revealed will in Scripture. Additionally God's will is for us to obey Him, thereby bringing glory to His name, and we will 'hear' Him better as we are increasingly sanctified and walking in obedience to Scripture. Ferguson thus avoids going toe to toe with those who advocate extrabiblical guidance and instead explains why Scripture study is paramount regardless of one's position on the issue.
Packer's position in this book is most closely aligned with Ferguson. He cites to both Willard and Jensen, freely acknowledging the anecdotal evidence in favor of supernatural guidance while still encouraging his readers not to actively seek the supernatural but to first and foremost saturate themselves in Scripture. (He also encourages the practice of wisdom (Chapter 5), seeking godly counsel (Chapter 6), and having good role models (Chapter 7).) He cautions against the dangers of overspiritualizing and underspiritualizing the search for God's will--and offers excellent advice for responding to those who claim to be 'led' by the Spirit. There is also a fairly helpful discussion of the intersection between the will of God and human vocation.
The substantive points Packer makes are all excellent. He is very measured and reasonable, acknowledging the arguments of both camps and addressing them thoughtfully and wisely. If there is a weakness in this book, it is in the writing. Packer is fond of using complex sentence structures that I, for one, found distracting; I often had to read and re-read his statements several times in order to grasp the grammatical gist of his points. (This is not a problem I remember having with his excellent work Knowing God.) I don't mean that the points themselves are dense--that would be no criticism at all, but a compliment. Rather, he unnecessarily bogs his reader down by expressing his points in hard-to-read, convoluted sentences. It is difficult to explain precisely what I mean, but suffice to say that this book was harder and slower to read than its content required. Similarly, the overall structure of the book was not terribly forthright (which, given the topic, is either amusingly ironic or entirely appropos in a meta sort of way). Packer makes good use of headings and lists, but it is not clear how the lists all relate to one another, and I wished I had a better idea of where he was going and how it would all fit together. Likewise, the summaries at the close of each chapter were surprisingly unhelpful; they felt somehow simultaneously superfluous and confusing. I think another solid round of edits would do wonders for what is obviously a very sound and potentially quite helpful book.
As a result, though Packer's analysis is more in-depth than Ferguson's, I think Discovering God's Will retains its position as my favorite book on the subject--it is clear and concise, meaty yet accessible, and addresses the dangers of extrabiblical guidance without abandoning it (or disavowing it) altogether. Still, if you're looking to go a bit deeper and don't mind a bit of a slog, Packer's book is well worth reading.
In the past few months, I've read several books on this topic. There seem to be two main camps--those who allow for extrabiblical guidance (that is, the supernatural or 'felt' leading of the Holy Spirit) and those who do not. The issue works itself out primarily in the realm of decisions where sin is not implicated, i.e., what college to attend, where to eat lunch, what socks to wear, etc.
Writers like Philip Cary (Good News for Anxious Christians, which I have not gotten around to reviewing yet) believe that the sum total of God's guidance is contained in the Scripture. Thus, God has given us guidance on how to be obedient to Him and live well. If the Bible does not address the issue, then it is up to us to use our intelligence to make an informed choice. (Under this view, it would seem that the Holy Spirit's work in Scripture ended with the original inspiration; there does not appear to be any allowance for the Holy Spirit's continuing work in applying the Word to the individual lives of believers.) A similar position is articulated by Kevin DeYoung in Just Do Something and by Phillip Jensen in Guidance and the Voice of God (which my church uses in its Sunday School class on guidance). DeYoung and Jensen are not quite so militant in their opposition to perceived extrabiblical guidance as Cary, but they clearly view such phenomena with skepticism and disinterest.
At the other end of the spectrum, Dallas Willard (Hearing God) believes that God may give guidance even where sin is not implicated, and that believers should be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in such areas. Willard does not claim that God always gives such guidance--only that He may, and that Christians should, essentially, give Him a chance to weigh in on the matter. If no guidance is forthcoming, then the Christian may make a decision guided by intelligence and even our own desire. It is worth noting that Willard--and, I would hope, all orthodox writers--would oppose any perceived 'guidance' contrary to Scripture. So, if a man claims that the Holy Spirit is 'leading' him to cheat on his wife, he is, quite simply, mistaken. The Word of God is the only certain source of guidance; the Holy Spirit may occasionally supplement it, but will never, ever contradict it.
Fortunately, there are some writers who take a more moderate position. Sinclair Ferguson has written what is, thus far, my favorite book on the subject: Discovering God's Will. Ferguson allows for the possibility of supernatural guidance, but points out that such guidance will be facilitated by faithful study of Scripture. After all, we are fallen and sinful and may thus mistake our own desires for the 'leading' of the Holy Spirit. The Bible, on the other hand, is inerrant, and by knowing it well we can better test the 'leadings' we feel. And anyway, we can't very well expect God to reveal His will to us supernaturally if we neglect His revealed will in Scripture. Additionally God's will is for us to obey Him, thereby bringing glory to His name, and we will 'hear' Him better as we are increasingly sanctified and walking in obedience to Scripture. Ferguson thus avoids going toe to toe with those who advocate extrabiblical guidance and instead explains why Scripture study is paramount regardless of one's position on the issue.
Packer's position in this book is most closely aligned with Ferguson. He cites to both Willard and Jensen, freely acknowledging the anecdotal evidence in favor of supernatural guidance while still encouraging his readers not to actively seek the supernatural but to first and foremost saturate themselves in Scripture. (He also encourages the practice of wisdom (Chapter 5), seeking godly counsel (Chapter 6), and having good role models (Chapter 7).) He cautions against the dangers of overspiritualizing and underspiritualizing the search for God's will--and offers excellent advice for responding to those who claim to be 'led' by the Spirit. There is also a fairly helpful discussion of the intersection between the will of God and human vocation.
The substantive points Packer makes are all excellent. He is very measured and reasonable, acknowledging the arguments of both camps and addressing them thoughtfully and wisely. If there is a weakness in this book, it is in the writing. Packer is fond of using complex sentence structures that I, for one, found distracting; I often had to read and re-read his statements several times in order to grasp the grammatical gist of his points. (This is not a problem I remember having with his excellent work Knowing God.) I don't mean that the points themselves are dense--that would be no criticism at all, but a compliment. Rather, he unnecessarily bogs his reader down by expressing his points in hard-to-read, convoluted sentences. It is difficult to explain precisely what I mean, but suffice to say that this book was harder and slower to read than its content required. Similarly, the overall structure of the book was not terribly forthright (which, given the topic, is either amusingly ironic or entirely appropos in a meta sort of way). Packer makes good use of headings and lists, but it is not clear how the lists all relate to one another, and I wished I had a better idea of where he was going and how it would all fit together. Likewise, the summaries at the close of each chapter were surprisingly unhelpful; they felt somehow simultaneously superfluous and confusing. I think another solid round of edits would do wonders for what is obviously a very sound and potentially quite helpful book.
As a result, though Packer's analysis is more in-depth than Ferguson's, I think Discovering God's Will retains its position as my favorite book on the subject--it is clear and concise, meaty yet accessible, and addresses the dangers of extrabiblical guidance without abandoning it (or disavowing it) altogether. Still, if you're looking to go a bit deeper and don't mind a bit of a slog, Packer's book is well worth reading.
November 5, 2018
A biblical guide to learning God's will. It explains how God guides to know His will through the Bible, our use of wisdom, the counsel of fellow believers, the insights and ideals from examples of believers past and present, and especially by Jesus' example.
The scope is far wider scope than Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung, with a lot about how to gain wisdom from believers in the Bible and our churches. The extra content is good, but I would have preferred more a more concise focus on the topic of learning God's will.
Notes
The Shepherd and His Sheep
"Favored four" vocations (missionaries, ministers and ministers' wives, medical personnel, school teachers) offer more opportunities for doing good and bringing immediate benefit to other people than many other professions, so they should be seriously considered. But they aren't at a higher spiritual plane.
You don't need a special sign from God beyond interest, aptitude, and estimate of your fitness by others before committing to service in one of "favored four" vocations or any other field.
Belief that God supernaturally guides through voice-like thoughts, strongly inclined imagining, and inner urgings emerged in mid-19th century America. Notion was reinforced by Pentecostalism in 20th century.
Trouble isn't necessarily God telling us to avoid an action; it may be a test of sincerity and obedience.
Some Tangled Tales
God instructs us through Bible (10 Commandments, case law, prophets, wisdom books, Jesus' teachings, epistles).
God guides through giving us discernment (Rom 12:1-2; Ps 32:8-9).
We shouldn't expect OT signs given that we live after Jesus, have completed revelation, have complete canonical Scripture, and post-Pentecost ministry of Spirit.
Apostles never told Christians to seek signs of God's will for their decisions, as though Gospel and ethical corollaries were insufficient. Jesus warned Pharisees of irresponsibility of seeking signs when they should have followed His words (Mk 8:11-13).
Seeking signs can set one up to Satanic deception (2 Thess 2:9-10; Mk 13:22).
View signs as a bonus; don't seek them.
Your Good Health
We must use discernment to weigh alternatives to determine the most God-glorifying response to each set of needs and possibilities (Romans 12:2). This requires brain work (research, consultation) in God's presence. We must determine what's best for God, others, and self (in that order) in terms of God's Law and values.
Guided by the Word of God
God's Law is basic form of divine guidance.
God always wills that we choose the plainest duty and/or least evil according to our knowledge at the time.
Make the best use of the time. Never let the merely good (or merely possible) become the enemy of the best (Ephesians 5:16-18).
Set ourselves apart to serve God, and don't be conformed to world (Rom 12:1-2).
We can't know God's will through Pharisaic, mechanical calculations on applying God's Law. We need Holy Spirit working through regenerated mind and heart. This is a Christ-centered quest for Christ-likeness in all attitudes and actions.
Ps 23:3 ("He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake") points to Holy Spirit through written Word moving us to appropriate action.
Psalms teaches how to pray; Proverbs teaches how to act; Job teaches how to suffer; Song of Songs teaches how to love; Ecclesiastes teaches how to enjoy.
Ecclesiastes teaches 2 lessons: enjoy God in everything, and enjoy everything in God.
Wisdom operates with God first, others next, self last mentality. Wise assessment calculates consequences of options, and seeks to determine which courses of action will produce best results for all concerned, and for God's Kingdom and praise. We must love God and neighbor. Jesus modeled perfect wisdom in His decisions.
Holy Spirit leads us to best decision, but under normal circumstances He uses normal, human, often laborious endeavors.
Advice leads to wisdom, which leads to prudence.
With A Little Help From Our Friends
Our local congregation is our primary field of fellowship, where our ideas of God's will for us are tested, and where we receive indications of God's will.
Modeling
One way God guides is through influence of others He puts in our lives (Ps 32:8-9).
We should read gospels, letters of Paul and John, Psalms frequently because they contain models of godly inner life.
Guided Life Commitments
In late 19th and early 20th centuries, evangelicals started expecting supernatural indications of God's will for major decisions. This led to a mistrust of Christian reasoning and an undue reliance on emotion. But in Bible, such events occurred only when God was radically changing the course of someone's life.
From mid-16th to mid-19th century, Protestant teachers asked these questions about career: What options do your circumstances allow? Which option are you best suited for in interest and ability?
Proper prayer for career: "Give me clarity as to what line of work I can happily follow for life, should the form of employment last for life."
Proper prayer for spouse: "Give me clarity as to whom I can loyally and wholeheartedly love for life, assuming many years together before death."
Weigh pros and cons before God, and prudently take advice, to gain rational clarity from God. Matter is concluded when we have sense of inner peace that tells us we no longer need to churn over the matter.
Honest, faithful, honorable work of any sort, done as best we can, and as helpfully to others as possible, glorifies God.
What turns work which might otherwise be drudgery is not nature of work itself, but fact that it's done for God's glory.
When considering career, prayerfully ask self, "What can I do well and happily? Among those, which will be best for honor of God, extension of His Kingdom, benefit of neighbor, and my own job satisfaction?" When mind settles, see that as God's call.
Bible ascribes dignity to career sacrifices made for sake of family (1 Tim 5:8).
When considering work or other commitments, consider circumstances, interests, skills, what we'd most like to do for God and others, out of desire to make difference for God.
If a vocation has our heart, but we lack some of the necessary qualities to do it, we don't necessarily need to give up; it may be appropriate to trust God to supply qualities we lack.
Situation Ethics
Just because circumstances make an action possible, and we have a desire to follow it, doesn't mean that's God's will.
How to decide in a situation: survey situation, collecting relevant facts. Work through questions one at a time, to simplify. Search Scriptures for relevant principles and examples. Examine your own attitudes, motives. In each step, seek advice of strong Christians. Pray humbly for guidance and inward peace when you're on track. Don't hurry in deciding. Submit to God.
Guarded and Guided by the Holy Spirit
God guides by Bible, exercise of wisdom, counsel of fellow believers, insights and ideals from examples of believers past and present (especially Jesus).
A Biblical Approach to Guidance
1. What is the best I can do for God?
2. Note instructions of Scripture: love God and others, Law, call for action.
3. Follow examples of godliness in Scripture. Most of all, imitate humility and love of Jesus.
4. Be guided by wisdom. Get advice from wise believers.
5. Pay attention to nudges (desire for ministry, restless heart, etc.).
6. Cherish divine peace which guards heart.
7. Observe limits of your circumstances. When they can't be changed, accept them as from God.
8. Be prepared for guidance to not appear until time of decision. Expect God to lead one step at a time.
9. Be prepared for God to direct you to something you don't like, and teaching you to like it.
10. A bad decision isn't the end. God forgives and restores.
The scope is far wider scope than Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung, with a lot about how to gain wisdom from believers in the Bible and our churches. The extra content is good, but I would have preferred more a more concise focus on the topic of learning God's will.
Notes
The Shepherd and His Sheep
"Favored four" vocations (missionaries, ministers and ministers' wives, medical personnel, school teachers) offer more opportunities for doing good and bringing immediate benefit to other people than many other professions, so they should be seriously considered. But they aren't at a higher spiritual plane.
You don't need a special sign from God beyond interest, aptitude, and estimate of your fitness by others before committing to service in one of "favored four" vocations or any other field.
Belief that God supernaturally guides through voice-like thoughts, strongly inclined imagining, and inner urgings emerged in mid-19th century America. Notion was reinforced by Pentecostalism in 20th century.
Trouble isn't necessarily God telling us to avoid an action; it may be a test of sincerity and obedience.
Some Tangled Tales
God instructs us through Bible (10 Commandments, case law, prophets, wisdom books, Jesus' teachings, epistles).
God guides through giving us discernment (Rom 12:1-2; Ps 32:8-9).
We shouldn't expect OT signs given that we live after Jesus, have completed revelation, have complete canonical Scripture, and post-Pentecost ministry of Spirit.
Apostles never told Christians to seek signs of God's will for their decisions, as though Gospel and ethical corollaries were insufficient. Jesus warned Pharisees of irresponsibility of seeking signs when they should have followed His words (Mk 8:11-13).
Seeking signs can set one up to Satanic deception (2 Thess 2:9-10; Mk 13:22).
View signs as a bonus; don't seek them.
Your Good Health
We must use discernment to weigh alternatives to determine the most God-glorifying response to each set of needs and possibilities (Romans 12:2). This requires brain work (research, consultation) in God's presence. We must determine what's best for God, others, and self (in that order) in terms of God's Law and values.
Guided by the Word of God
God's Law is basic form of divine guidance.
God always wills that we choose the plainest duty and/or least evil according to our knowledge at the time.
Make the best use of the time. Never let the merely good (or merely possible) become the enemy of the best (Ephesians 5:16-18).
Set ourselves apart to serve God, and don't be conformed to world (Rom 12:1-2).
We can't know God's will through Pharisaic, mechanical calculations on applying God's Law. We need Holy Spirit working through regenerated mind and heart. This is a Christ-centered quest for Christ-likeness in all attitudes and actions.
Ps 23:3 ("He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake") points to Holy Spirit through written Word moving us to appropriate action.
Psalms teaches how to pray; Proverbs teaches how to act; Job teaches how to suffer; Song of Songs teaches how to love; Ecclesiastes teaches how to enjoy.
Ecclesiastes teaches 2 lessons: enjoy God in everything, and enjoy everything in God.
Wisdom operates with God first, others next, self last mentality. Wise assessment calculates consequences of options, and seeks to determine which courses of action will produce best results for all concerned, and for God's Kingdom and praise. We must love God and neighbor. Jesus modeled perfect wisdom in His decisions.
Holy Spirit leads us to best decision, but under normal circumstances He uses normal, human, often laborious endeavors.
Advice leads to wisdom, which leads to prudence.
With A Little Help From Our Friends
Our local congregation is our primary field of fellowship, where our ideas of God's will for us are tested, and where we receive indications of God's will.
Modeling
One way God guides is through influence of others He puts in our lives (Ps 32:8-9).
We should read gospels, letters of Paul and John, Psalms frequently because they contain models of godly inner life.
Guided Life Commitments
In late 19th and early 20th centuries, evangelicals started expecting supernatural indications of God's will for major decisions. This led to a mistrust of Christian reasoning and an undue reliance on emotion. But in Bible, such events occurred only when God was radically changing the course of someone's life.
From mid-16th to mid-19th century, Protestant teachers asked these questions about career: What options do your circumstances allow? Which option are you best suited for in interest and ability?
Proper prayer for career: "Give me clarity as to what line of work I can happily follow for life, should the form of employment last for life."
Proper prayer for spouse: "Give me clarity as to whom I can loyally and wholeheartedly love for life, assuming many years together before death."
Weigh pros and cons before God, and prudently take advice, to gain rational clarity from God. Matter is concluded when we have sense of inner peace that tells us we no longer need to churn over the matter.
Honest, faithful, honorable work of any sort, done as best we can, and as helpfully to others as possible, glorifies God.
What turns work which might otherwise be drudgery is not nature of work itself, but fact that it's done for God's glory.
When considering career, prayerfully ask self, "What can I do well and happily? Among those, which will be best for honor of God, extension of His Kingdom, benefit of neighbor, and my own job satisfaction?" When mind settles, see that as God's call.
Bible ascribes dignity to career sacrifices made for sake of family (1 Tim 5:8).
When considering work or other commitments, consider circumstances, interests, skills, what we'd most like to do for God and others, out of desire to make difference for God.
If a vocation has our heart, but we lack some of the necessary qualities to do it, we don't necessarily need to give up; it may be appropriate to trust God to supply qualities we lack.
Situation Ethics
Just because circumstances make an action possible, and we have a desire to follow it, doesn't mean that's God's will.
How to decide in a situation: survey situation, collecting relevant facts. Work through questions one at a time, to simplify. Search Scriptures for relevant principles and examples. Examine your own attitudes, motives. In each step, seek advice of strong Christians. Pray humbly for guidance and inward peace when you're on track. Don't hurry in deciding. Submit to God.
Guarded and Guided by the Holy Spirit
God guides by Bible, exercise of wisdom, counsel of fellow believers, insights and ideals from examples of believers past and present (especially Jesus).
A Biblical Approach to Guidance
1. What is the best I can do for God?
2. Note instructions of Scripture: love God and others, Law, call for action.
3. Follow examples of godliness in Scripture. Most of all, imitate humility and love of Jesus.
4. Be guided by wisdom. Get advice from wise believers.
5. Pay attention to nudges (desire for ministry, restless heart, etc.).
6. Cherish divine peace which guards heart.
7. Observe limits of your circumstances. When they can't be changed, accept them as from God.
8. Be prepared for guidance to not appear until time of decision. Expect God to lead one step at a time.
9. Be prepared for God to direct you to something you don't like, and teaching you to like it.
10. A bad decision isn't the end. God forgives and restores.
January 29, 2025
An excellent book for thinking through God's guidance in our lives. Second time listening through book and I enjoyed it just the same.
Read
July 4, 2015I think the way I read books doesn't do justice to this one. It is not meant to be read in a hurry over a couple of weeks, for it is not an easy, entertaining read. It is meant to be read little by little and digested. Excellent, but I fear it will need two more reads before I fully appreciate it
March 23, 2016
An easy read, and an important contribution to the wayward thinking concerning God's will and guidance which defines so much of our generation.
November 2, 2014
"Pietism, which means living by the belief that nothing in life matters so much as my personal relationship with God, is right and good, but legalism, which means living by the belief that the quality of my relationship with God depends on my turning in some form of correct performance, is neither."
Personal messages from heaven are not and never were God's usual way of providing guidance to Christians. Instead, God generally expects Christians to apply biblical principles. In the event that anyone believes that they have received direct heavenly guidance, they should refer to Deuteronomy 18:21–22 [I would argue against that verse given statistics].
[Summary by excerpt and Q&A]
Why are signs not to be sought in Christian decision-making?
The apostles never tell Christians to seek signs of God’s will for their decisions, as though the gospel and its ethical corollaries are not in themselves sufficient to guide our steps, and Jesus warned the Pharisees explicitly against the irresponsibility of seeking signs when they should be facing up to his words.
[T]he essence of “putting out a fleece” for guidance about a private and personal decision, such as those Dr. Waltke refers to, is to devise a test to which God is asked to submit in a specified way, so that he dances to a tune that this or that believer composed for him. This comes close to the devil’s second temptation in the desert, which Jesus dismissed by saying: “It is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matt. 4:7 citing Deut. 6:16). Gideon’s words introducing his second request, “Let not your anger burn against me,” sound as if Gideon knew there was something presumptuous about what he was doing.
It thus appears that the quest for guiding signs, which is at best a blind alley and an obstacle to spiritual maturity, can be at worst setting oneself up to be deceived by Satan, the archetypical specialist in lying and deception, who is only too ready to foul up our decisions and commitments by setting false signs before us and leading us to misinterpret our circumstances and make ruinous decisions. And if bad does not in this way come to worst, the mindset that seeks signs and hesitates to act without them is bound to paralyze us morally and keep us from making commitments that we ought to make, and that in all conscience is something that truly limits what God will do in and through us.
We think it widely assumed that when God guides us we shall be shielded from ever having to make agonizing decisions of this kind. Not so, however. We must not be misled by wishful thinking. We are going to go through the mill of life like everyone else. We who are disciples are different because we also have a higher or additional life—a different quality of life, a spiritual life, an eternal life—not because we are spared the ordinary troubles that befall ordinary human beings.
How, then, should Christians make decisions?
Righteousness in both God and humans means doing what is right, in the sense of meeting all obligations and displaying all relevant forms of virtue, goodwill, and enterprise. Human righteousness, under God, which is our present concern, is essentially a matter of honoring, obeying, and pleasing God—in other words, living the life we were all made to live—and of dealing with people (relatives, partners, friends, colleagues, fellow believers, and fellow human beings as such) in an honest, respectful, well-wishing, Christlike way, serving them, helping them, treating them the way one would wish to be treated by them, and putting ourselves out to meet all the genuine claims they have upon us and to supply their genuine needs every way we can, never settling for the fairly good, or the “not bad,” in place of the best that the situation permits.
From the Scriptures we learn parameters. We learn where it is wrong to go; we see the outline of the path that we must stay on. Following the principles taught in the Word, we seek to obey the revealed directions of God for living our lives to his praise. The classic Christian name for this art is casuistry, the resolving of cases of moral decision by the Word of God.
Matt. 22:37–40, citing Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” All the specifics of moral and political duty that the Bible spells out are, one way or another, instances or applications of these principles. [...] Love in Scripture (agapē in the New Testament) is not in essence a feeling (which is often all that the word signifies in modern Western culture) but is rather a resolve of goodwill and a purpose of giving the loved one the best we can, to make the loved one great in whatever is the appropriate way. A wise God-follower will look at these consequences in light of the great double-barreled command: to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves—even when that “neighbor” is someone not to our personal liking. Liking is not the same as loving, and Christians often find themselves called to love people they do not like. Wisdom has to be working out consequences all the time—for God and for everyone else, not just for self.
Romans 12:1-3: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The Greek verb rendered as “transformed” yields the English word metamorphosis, signifying a real and substantial change in one’s personal existence in some way. Being in the present tense, the verb indicates that the transformation will be an ongoing, continuous, progressive process.
The Word rendered “spiritual” is not the usual word that points to the Holy Spirit, but one that conveys the thought of something being appropriately rational and intelligent, and done with real understanding.
The Greek word rendered “perfect” means not so much flawless as complete and adequate, covering all angles in the way most satisfactory to God.
Habits of living are the fruit of desires in the heart.
These nine habits that Paul called the “fruit of the Spirit” (singular, “fruit,” not “fruits”), this love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, are nine facets of Christlikeness. Note first that each of them is a fixed habit of behaving as distinct from a passing mood or a fitful gust of feeling. They are aspects of character, life-habits that persist in place of external incentives, or shall we say temptations, to behave differently. As they are not natural virtues, so they are not supernatural endowments wrought in us over our heads, so to speak, that is, while our heads are still empty of this knowledge. The fruit of the Spirit is the outcome of learning and obeying the gospel, consciously trusting Christ as Savior and Master, and resolutely repenting of our sins.
Love: Love (agapē) is the habit of seeking some form of greatness for the other party, laboring to do what is truly good for that person. It is the way of love always to do its best for the beloved one. When we worship God it is love seeking to show him to be already great in our estimation, and to encourage others to acknowledge his greatness. When we love our neighbor, which is a further instinct of the regenerate heart, we seek to discern and to meet our neighbor’s real need. Thus, love aims and works to make the neighbor, the loved one, great, whether or not this love is recognized and returned. Paul profiles the fundamentals of neighbor-love in 1 Corinthians 13. Joy: Joy is a habit that, like the rest of the fruit, matures into an active attitude.
Joy is a discipline—a delightful discipline—of rejoicing, which begins with simply thinking over the things that God has done for us, the commitment that God has made to us, and the service that God renders to us. To this kind of meditative thinking on God’s kindness, joy is the natural reaction. But joy begins with a disciplined habit of thinking of these things until one is freshly thrilled by them. Then one’s rejoicing finds natural expression in smiling, singing, and sharing and as has truly (and picturesquely) been said, joy then proves to be like jam: the more you try to spread it, the more it sticks to you. Joy in the Lord can coexist in the Christian’s heart even with grief at unhappy things; “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10) is a Spirit-induced state of mind, incomprehensible to the world but well-known among God’s saints.
Peace: One of the great gifts that our Lord has given us is objective, relational peace between us and our God through the achievement at Calvary. Subjective, personal peace flows from the habit of never forgetting the cross, but constantly remembering what our Lord went through in order to bring us pardon for sin and justification through faith. As we hold the cross before our minds, brooding on it (as is the good habit of many devout Christians, a habit regularly reinforced at the Lord’s Table) the outcome is not morbidity, but peace—knowing peace with God, enjoying the peace of God, and becoming a center of peace, a peacemaker and peace-bringer, as we move around among the strife-torn. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” says the Lord Jesus, “for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9). The peace of God produces pleasure, praise, and patience under God’s hand of providence; those privileged to know and share it are key people in every community of which they are part.
Patience: Patience, as we have just said, is a habit of mind and heart that grows out of inner peace. Patience trusts God to be at work even in the frustrating events of life, whether it is engorged traffic or crying babies or implacable vendettas or a seemingly unending series of personal disasters. Patience thinks before speaking, aiming to avoid offending. Patience wills the self to see the world from someone else’s perspective—and to walk with that person through their world. Patience is rooted in hope because “if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Rom. 8:25). Patience takes the long view; unfazed by short-term setbacks, it will carry on unruffled instead of giving up in despair. Patience accepts God’s timing and responds to others in a way that reflects the patience God has toward us. “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord . . . is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:8–9). Patience sees today in the perspective of eternity—and so can laugh.
Kindness: Kindness is a habit that softens the atmosphere. It is an outgoing of neighbor-love that becomes instinctive, and is often unnoticed even by the person who practices it; yet voices and actions and even thoughts surrounding acts of kindness impart this softening toward others as if it were a benevolent virus, a happy infection that eases everything for everyone. The bewildered “sheep” of Matthew 25:31–40 could hardly remember when they visited the prison, fed the hungry, welcomed a stranger, and they had no idea that Christ valued these acts of kindness so much that he considered them as done to himself. Kindness is like that. It is a selfless form of thinking that sees a need and meets it, almost by reflex, with no thought of reward. Like the other fruit of the Spirit, kindness comes by receiving and then imitating the kindness of God, as the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).
Goodness: Goodness and kindness run into each other and so are often confused. Yet goodness has a quality of moral discernment about it that naked kindness might lack. Goodness thinks beyond the present and evaluates what is best in the long term. Kindness spends its strength handing out boatloads of fish to the hungry. Goodness both feeds the hungry and then helps them set up a microenterprise of fishing.
Faithfulness: Faithfulness doesn’t quit. The book of Hosea pictures God’s faithfulness with unforgettable poignancy. God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer who (predictably) continued to practice her craft bearing a number of children not fathered by Hosea. Years later when Gomer, having long left Hosea, has as it seems become another man’s sick and destitute slave, God commands Hosea to buy her and take her home once again as his wife, saying to her, “I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD” (Hos. 2:20). Throughout the book, Gomer is a living symbol of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, and Hosea is a symbol of God’s faithfulness to his people—so much so that at some points it is difficult to separate Hosea’s words to Gomer from God’s words to Israel. Hosea, in ways far past human expectation, has absorbed into his own character the sacrificial faithfulness of God. Most of us are not called to make Hosea’s kind of sacrifice. But to the extent that we develop the habit of faithfulness, whether it is in keeping appointments, keeping bills paid when due, or keeping marriage vows, we begin to mirror, even partially, the character of our God who is faithful always.
Gentleness in the Bible is not the opposite of strength; it is not wimpishness, as modern usage might suggest; it is, rather, strength under control, harnessed to love and serve. Gentleness is all the more real because every time it is practiced, gentleness is a freely made choice that is backed by strength.
Personal messages from heaven are not and never were God's usual way of providing guidance to Christians. Instead, God generally expects Christians to apply biblical principles. In the event that anyone believes that they have received direct heavenly guidance, they should refer to Deuteronomy 18:21–22 [I would argue against that verse given statistics].
[Summary by excerpt and Q&A]
Why are signs not to be sought in Christian decision-making?
The apostles never tell Christians to seek signs of God’s will for their decisions, as though the gospel and its ethical corollaries are not in themselves sufficient to guide our steps, and Jesus warned the Pharisees explicitly against the irresponsibility of seeking signs when they should be facing up to his words.
[T]he essence of “putting out a fleece” for guidance about a private and personal decision, such as those Dr. Waltke refers to, is to devise a test to which God is asked to submit in a specified way, so that he dances to a tune that this or that believer composed for him. This comes close to the devil’s second temptation in the desert, which Jesus dismissed by saying: “It is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matt. 4:7 citing Deut. 6:16). Gideon’s words introducing his second request, “Let not your anger burn against me,” sound as if Gideon knew there was something presumptuous about what he was doing.
It thus appears that the quest for guiding signs, which is at best a blind alley and an obstacle to spiritual maturity, can be at worst setting oneself up to be deceived by Satan, the archetypical specialist in lying and deception, who is only too ready to foul up our decisions and commitments by setting false signs before us and leading us to misinterpret our circumstances and make ruinous decisions. And if bad does not in this way come to worst, the mindset that seeks signs and hesitates to act without them is bound to paralyze us morally and keep us from making commitments that we ought to make, and that in all conscience is something that truly limits what God will do in and through us.
We think it widely assumed that when God guides us we shall be shielded from ever having to make agonizing decisions of this kind. Not so, however. We must not be misled by wishful thinking. We are going to go through the mill of life like everyone else. We who are disciples are different because we also have a higher or additional life—a different quality of life, a spiritual life, an eternal life—not because we are spared the ordinary troubles that befall ordinary human beings.
How, then, should Christians make decisions?
Righteousness in both God and humans means doing what is right, in the sense of meeting all obligations and displaying all relevant forms of virtue, goodwill, and enterprise. Human righteousness, under God, which is our present concern, is essentially a matter of honoring, obeying, and pleasing God—in other words, living the life we were all made to live—and of dealing with people (relatives, partners, friends, colleagues, fellow believers, and fellow human beings as such) in an honest, respectful, well-wishing, Christlike way, serving them, helping them, treating them the way one would wish to be treated by them, and putting ourselves out to meet all the genuine claims they have upon us and to supply their genuine needs every way we can, never settling for the fairly good, or the “not bad,” in place of the best that the situation permits.
From the Scriptures we learn parameters. We learn where it is wrong to go; we see the outline of the path that we must stay on. Following the principles taught in the Word, we seek to obey the revealed directions of God for living our lives to his praise. The classic Christian name for this art is casuistry, the resolving of cases of moral decision by the Word of God.
Matt. 22:37–40, citing Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” All the specifics of moral and political duty that the Bible spells out are, one way or another, instances or applications of these principles. [...] Love in Scripture (agapē in the New Testament) is not in essence a feeling (which is often all that the word signifies in modern Western culture) but is rather a resolve of goodwill and a purpose of giving the loved one the best we can, to make the loved one great in whatever is the appropriate way. A wise God-follower will look at these consequences in light of the great double-barreled command: to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves—even when that “neighbor” is someone not to our personal liking. Liking is not the same as loving, and Christians often find themselves called to love people they do not like. Wisdom has to be working out consequences all the time—for God and for everyone else, not just for self.
Romans 12:1-3: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The Greek verb rendered as “transformed” yields the English word metamorphosis, signifying a real and substantial change in one’s personal existence in some way. Being in the present tense, the verb indicates that the transformation will be an ongoing, continuous, progressive process.
The Word rendered “spiritual” is not the usual word that points to the Holy Spirit, but one that conveys the thought of something being appropriately rational and intelligent, and done with real understanding.
The Greek word rendered “perfect” means not so much flawless as complete and adequate, covering all angles in the way most satisfactory to God.
Habits of living are the fruit of desires in the heart.
These nine habits that Paul called the “fruit of the Spirit” (singular, “fruit,” not “fruits”), this love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, are nine facets of Christlikeness. Note first that each of them is a fixed habit of behaving as distinct from a passing mood or a fitful gust of feeling. They are aspects of character, life-habits that persist in place of external incentives, or shall we say temptations, to behave differently. As they are not natural virtues, so they are not supernatural endowments wrought in us over our heads, so to speak, that is, while our heads are still empty of this knowledge. The fruit of the Spirit is the outcome of learning and obeying the gospel, consciously trusting Christ as Savior and Master, and resolutely repenting of our sins.
Love: Love (agapē) is the habit of seeking some form of greatness for the other party, laboring to do what is truly good for that person. It is the way of love always to do its best for the beloved one. When we worship God it is love seeking to show him to be already great in our estimation, and to encourage others to acknowledge his greatness. When we love our neighbor, which is a further instinct of the regenerate heart, we seek to discern and to meet our neighbor’s real need. Thus, love aims and works to make the neighbor, the loved one, great, whether or not this love is recognized and returned. Paul profiles the fundamentals of neighbor-love in 1 Corinthians 13. Joy: Joy is a habit that, like the rest of the fruit, matures into an active attitude.
Joy is a discipline—a delightful discipline—of rejoicing, which begins with simply thinking over the things that God has done for us, the commitment that God has made to us, and the service that God renders to us. To this kind of meditative thinking on God’s kindness, joy is the natural reaction. But joy begins with a disciplined habit of thinking of these things until one is freshly thrilled by them. Then one’s rejoicing finds natural expression in smiling, singing, and sharing and as has truly (and picturesquely) been said, joy then proves to be like jam: the more you try to spread it, the more it sticks to you. Joy in the Lord can coexist in the Christian’s heart even with grief at unhappy things; “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10) is a Spirit-induced state of mind, incomprehensible to the world but well-known among God’s saints.
Peace: One of the great gifts that our Lord has given us is objective, relational peace between us and our God through the achievement at Calvary. Subjective, personal peace flows from the habit of never forgetting the cross, but constantly remembering what our Lord went through in order to bring us pardon for sin and justification through faith. As we hold the cross before our minds, brooding on it (as is the good habit of many devout Christians, a habit regularly reinforced at the Lord’s Table) the outcome is not morbidity, but peace—knowing peace with God, enjoying the peace of God, and becoming a center of peace, a peacemaker and peace-bringer, as we move around among the strife-torn. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” says the Lord Jesus, “for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9). The peace of God produces pleasure, praise, and patience under God’s hand of providence; those privileged to know and share it are key people in every community of which they are part.
Patience: Patience, as we have just said, is a habit of mind and heart that grows out of inner peace. Patience trusts God to be at work even in the frustrating events of life, whether it is engorged traffic or crying babies or implacable vendettas or a seemingly unending series of personal disasters. Patience thinks before speaking, aiming to avoid offending. Patience wills the self to see the world from someone else’s perspective—and to walk with that person through their world. Patience is rooted in hope because “if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Rom. 8:25). Patience takes the long view; unfazed by short-term setbacks, it will carry on unruffled instead of giving up in despair. Patience accepts God’s timing and responds to others in a way that reflects the patience God has toward us. “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord . . . is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:8–9). Patience sees today in the perspective of eternity—and so can laugh.
Kindness: Kindness is a habit that softens the atmosphere. It is an outgoing of neighbor-love that becomes instinctive, and is often unnoticed even by the person who practices it; yet voices and actions and even thoughts surrounding acts of kindness impart this softening toward others as if it were a benevolent virus, a happy infection that eases everything for everyone. The bewildered “sheep” of Matthew 25:31–40 could hardly remember when they visited the prison, fed the hungry, welcomed a stranger, and they had no idea that Christ valued these acts of kindness so much that he considered them as done to himself. Kindness is like that. It is a selfless form of thinking that sees a need and meets it, almost by reflex, with no thought of reward. Like the other fruit of the Spirit, kindness comes by receiving and then imitating the kindness of God, as the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).
Goodness: Goodness and kindness run into each other and so are often confused. Yet goodness has a quality of moral discernment about it that naked kindness might lack. Goodness thinks beyond the present and evaluates what is best in the long term. Kindness spends its strength handing out boatloads of fish to the hungry. Goodness both feeds the hungry and then helps them set up a microenterprise of fishing.
Faithfulness: Faithfulness doesn’t quit. The book of Hosea pictures God’s faithfulness with unforgettable poignancy. God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer who (predictably) continued to practice her craft bearing a number of children not fathered by Hosea. Years later when Gomer, having long left Hosea, has as it seems become another man’s sick and destitute slave, God commands Hosea to buy her and take her home once again as his wife, saying to her, “I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD” (Hos. 2:20). Throughout the book, Gomer is a living symbol of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, and Hosea is a symbol of God’s faithfulness to his people—so much so that at some points it is difficult to separate Hosea’s words to Gomer from God’s words to Israel. Hosea, in ways far past human expectation, has absorbed into his own character the sacrificial faithfulness of God. Most of us are not called to make Hosea’s kind of sacrifice. But to the extent that we develop the habit of faithfulness, whether it is in keeping appointments, keeping bills paid when due, or keeping marriage vows, we begin to mirror, even partially, the character of our God who is faithful always.
Gentleness in the Bible is not the opposite of strength; it is not wimpishness, as modern usage might suggest; it is, rather, strength under control, harnessed to love and serve. Gentleness is all the more real because every time it is practiced, gentleness is a freely made choice that is backed by strength.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2024
If you are having trouble discerning the will of God this is a great book. The book helps the readers remember wherever they go the The Good Shepherd will lead them in paths of righteousness. The authors emphasize the need for wisdom and discernment in a Christian’s life when preparing to make a life changing decision. They combat the cultural ideas that promote Christian engaging in unhealthy ritualistic behaviors and following the will of God is alway pain-free. I love how the authors argue that seeking the will of God is a communal act as opposed to an individualistic activity. My one critique is that I am not a fan of the writers’ style. I have read other J I Packer books and enjoy they style more. Despite the style, the content is spot on.
February 26, 2020
Surprisingly good. Packer/Nystrom argue persuasively that our discussions of “knowing God’s will” need to be bright back into a covenantal framework. The authors point us to Psalm 23 to remember that the Lord is our shepherd and that he is indeed leading us in his will, by presently making good on his covenant promises.
October 3, 2025
Read for my bestie’s book club🫶🏼
It was a good audiobook to listen to on my commute to work. I think because I wasn’t reading this book all in one go it didn’t feel too repetitive, but I can see how if you’re reading this in a week it would seem long-winded. A lot of good reminders all around and a push to better understand your relationship with God.
It was a good audiobook to listen to on my commute to work. I think because I wasn’t reading this book all in one go it didn’t feel too repetitive, but I can see how if you’re reading this in a week it would seem long-winded. A lot of good reminders all around and a push to better understand your relationship with God.
January 27, 2020
I enjoyed the book. I have the audio version. Only problem with audio is that I like to be able to go back and re read passages and take notes so having a hard copy is preferable but I did enjoy the content and the reader of the book. It is one that I will listen to again.
November 21, 2019
Overall a good book. Personally, not sure what to take out of the book. I see only caution in the methods suggested. It just goes on to show, discerning God's will can be complex.
December 9, 2020
Wer sich Gedanken macht über diese so bekannte Frage, dem ist hier echt sehr geholfen. Packer und Nystrom behandeln das Thema auf sehr umfassende und biblische Weise.
April 10, 2024
You know a book is good when, as you read, you’re thinking, “Why haven’t I read this sooner?”
“God’s Will” is practical, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in the Bible. For almost every point the authors make, they reference several pieces of scripture.
This is a book that all Christians—and anyone questioning Christianity—should read.
“God’s Will” is practical, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in the Bible. For almost every point the authors make, they reference several pieces of scripture.
This is a book that all Christians—and anyone questioning Christianity—should read.
March 28, 2019
This was an excellent, rigorous study of God's will according to the Bible. The authors state their purpose as to free those who are anxious about damaging the will of God in their life to make choices in full faith that God is sovereign.
I learned a lot of things from reading this book, but one thing that suddenly occurred to me as I finished over the last couple of days is that I can't wait for the day that books like this are no longer necessary. Someday, we will walk by God's will in the New Earth, with no anxiety or doubt. Until then, Packer and Nystrom helped me take comfort in the sovereign hand of God, especially as described in Psalm 23.
I learned a lot of things from reading this book, but one thing that suddenly occurred to me as I finished over the last couple of days is that I can't wait for the day that books like this are no longer necessary. Someday, we will walk by God's will in the New Earth, with no anxiety or doubt. Until then, Packer and Nystrom helped me take comfort in the sovereign hand of God, especially as described in Psalm 23.
June 16, 2019
Looks at Psalm 23 and God’s covenantal guidance of his sheep. This book pulls all the emphasis off the mystical, words-in-the-clouds approach to God’s will and puts it where it rightly belongs - God’s loyal love to his people is revealed in his self-revelation and that is the guidance we need in life as we follow our Good Shepherd.
April 26, 2016
Excellent! It covers the topic of God's will a little more broadly than I was expecting, but every chapter was helpful and insightful. In particular, the chapters on developing discernment and growing in wisdom were extremely helpful.
December 11, 2015
Lots of sound wisdom. Everything resonated except his supersessionistic views, which he very briefly mentioned.
January 8, 2019
Interesting, but not as good or helpful as I was hoping. That said there are a few discussions in it that I have not seen other authors address.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews