Finding God’s Will

1 Samuel 9:27
“And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.”

In the verse above, Saul had yet to find that God’s will for his life was to become king of Israel. Up to this point in his life, he was still involved with cattle. It was when Saul was searching for his livestock that he found the man of God and discovered God’s will for his life.

You will never be happy until you find God’s will for your life. I often tell people that they won’t be happy doing anything else until they are doing God’s will for their life. You can try everything else in life, but you will never be happy until you find what God made you to do. In the verse above, five things were done that helped Saul find God’s will for his life.

First, you must be patient if you want to find God’s will. Samuel said to Saul, “…stand thou still a while…” You can't be impatient when trying to find what God wants you to do. God will tell you what His will is in His timing. Many people want God to be like a fast food restaurant where they go to the counter and order His will, and within a few minutes He delivers it to them on a platter. Friend, part of finding God’s will is separating yourself from everything else so He can show His will to you. God needs to refine you and remove the things that would hinder you from being what He wants you to be before you are ready to know what His will is for your life. Until that time comes, be patient.

Second, you need to take time alone if you want to find God’s will. You will notice that Samuel sent Saul’s servant away. You won't find God’s when you never spend time alone in prayer asking Him to show it to you. If you truly desire to know God’s will for your life, you will have to spend time alone in prayer asking God to reveal His will to you.

Third, you need to listen to the man of God if you want to find His will for your life. Saul had to stand still so that the man of God could tell him what to do. God often reveals His will through preaching; this is why you need to be faithful to all the church services. The one service you miss could be the one sermon that God was going to reveal His will to you. Furthermore, you would be wise to listen to a lot of preaching throughout the week. The more preaching you listen to, the better chance you have of God showing you His will. It was during a preaching service when God showed me that I was to be a preacher. God uses preaching to reveal His will.

Fourth, you need to read God’s Word to find His will. It was the Word of God that Samuel needed to show Saul. You will never find God’s will if you don't spend time reading His Word. It is while you are reading God’s Word that He will often speak to your heart and show you what you need to do. Don't let the Scriptures lay on the shelf, but spend time daily reading them so that God can either show you His will or prepare your heart to learn His will.

Fifth, you must yield to the Holy Spirit if you want to find God’s will. In 1 Samuel 10:1, Samuel anointed Saul with oil. When a person is yielded to the Holy Spirit, their heart will be open to anything God wants them to do. If you daily yield yourself to the Holy Spirit, you will find that God will anoint you with His will.