This is the Will of God: Pray. Sing. Rejoice.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18
“What is God’s will for my life?”
Every believer asks this question at some point in their journey with the Lord. However, the Christian journey does not start with this question. We initially come to Christ because of what He does for us. We need forgiveness for our sins, and He forgives us. We need to be loved, and He loves us. We are separated from God, and Jesus reconciles us to the Father. We establish our relationship with God because we need Him.
As we mature in the Lord, a shift occurs. Instead of focusing on what God does for us, we start to ask what we can do for Him. God’s grace makes us grateful. We want to serve the One who has done so much for us. We want to live for His glory. Our selfish ambitions start to bow to Christ. Our agenda takes a backseat to His purposes. We want to live for Jesus! We follow His example and say, “not my will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42).
This shift from self-centeredness to God-centeredness is a (super)natural part of our growth in the Lord. But it also raises questions. Namely, what is God’s will? What do we actually do? How do we discern God’s will for our lives?
God’s Will Isn’t (Mainly) About Your Life
First of all, the Bible doesn’t speak of “the will of God” primarily in terms of the specific plans He has for your life. Instead, the “will of God” in Scripture typically refers more broadly to what He desires for all people.
The apostle Paul knew his God-given assignment. But he also commonly spoke of God’s will in more universal terms. He wrote that God desires all men to be saved, for instance (I Timothy 2:3-4). That is a key part of God’s will. In the New Testament, the emphasis is less on God’s will for your life and more on God’s will, period. God’s will for you is wrapped up in His will for everyone.
Therefore, when we consider God’s will for our lives, we need first to recognize that His will is for us to obey His clear instructions in Scripture. We do not need a word from the Lord, a dream, a prophecy, or a vision to know that we should obey His word. We simply need to read the Bible and follow its instructions.
I believe that if we give ourselves to the explicit instruction in Scripture, we will find ourselves caught up in the specific plans and purposes that God has ordained for our lives. As we take steps down the path of biblical obedience, we will stumble upon our unique destiny.
Yes, God will speak to guide you in major decisions in your life. He will lead you in the specific assignments He has for you. If He wants you to turn to the right or to the left, He will get your attention. For example, Paul was aware that his specific apostolic ministry was the “will of God” (1 Cor 1:1). However, the primary way we follow God’s will is by simply obeying the clear teaching of the Bible.
The Will of God in the New Testament
The Bible is full of commandments and guidance, and all of these are part of God’s will. However, I have found four times in the New Testament where the apostles attribute specific activities to the “will of God” or the “will of the Lord.”I thought it would be interesting to study the particular things that the Lord highlighted as “the will of God” in the New Testament (see Ephesians 5:17-21, I Thesselonians 4:3, 5:16-18, I Peter 2:13-15).
Here’s a list of the instructions from those passages with the Scripture typed out at the end of the article. The will of God for you is:
Rejoice always
Give thanks in all things
Pray without ceasing
Be filled with the Holy Spirit
Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
Give thanks (again)
Submit to one another
Submit to governing authorities
Flee sexual immorality
Sanctification
Presence-Centeredness is God’s Will
One of the things that stood out to me was how many of the activities on the list are precisely the kinds of things that presence-centered communities and houses of prayer prioritize regularly.
Ceaseless Prayer
…pray without ceasing…for this is the will of God… I Thessalonians 5:17-18
Paul told the Church at Thessalonica that it was God’s will to pray without ceasing. Here at Presence Pioneers, we are champions of 24/7 prayer and worship. We encourage everyone to participate in some form of effort to establish day and night prayer in your region.
None of us can pray ceaselessly on our own, but we can pray constantly together. Churches and ministry groups can schedule prayer meetings to fill their calendars with intercession. Church sanctuaries could become war rooms of ceaseless intercessory prayer and worship. The buildings are sitting there all week, anyway. Why not fill them with prayer? This is the will of the Lord!
Oh, that the global body of Christ would become the house of prayer for all the nations that Jesus said that we are (Mathew 21:13, Isaiah 56:7)! That the incense of prayer would rise in every place (Malachi 1:11)! That the Church would be faithful in day and night intercession before Jesus returns (Luke 18:1-17, Isaiah 62:6-7)!
Joy in the Holy Spirit
Rejoice always…for this is the will of God… I Thessalonians 5:16,18
How about “rejoice always”? This is the will of the Lord, but it’s easier said than done. I think it’s easier to rejoice when you’re in a presence-centered community. Why? Because in God’s presence there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). If we spend more time in God’s presence, we will spend more time rejoicing. Rejoicing is also easier in a praying community. Why? Because God promises to make us joyful in His house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7).
As New Covenant believers, when we speak of God’s presence among us, we are speaking of the Holy Spirit in our midst. We experience joy in worship and prayer because of the Holy Spirit’s activity. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Be full of the Spirit! Be full of joy! This is God’s will for your life.
…understand what the will of the Lord is… be filled with the Spirit… Ephesians 5:17-18
Joyful, presence-centered, Spirit-filled prayer is the biblical vision. This is God’s will for your life. Again, I say, rejoice!
Singing
…understand what the will of the Lord is…. addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart… Ephesians 5:17,19
Paul says that singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is God’s will. This is convenient, because it’s easier to rejoice when there’s music. And it’s easier to sing when you’re full of the Spirit. All of these dynamics work together.
Paul says to sing out loud but also to make melody “with your heart”. This means that we don’t just need to sing, but we also need to feel it. We need to mean it when we sing it. And it’s ok to be emotional about it, as long as it’s sincere. We need a heart of worship.
I’ve been in church services where the music is blaring and no one in the congregation is singing. That is not the will of the Lord. We need to sing! Let’s turn the music up just loud enough that it’s not awkward to lift our voices, but not so loud that we can’t hear the congregation singing. I love to find that sweet spot where we all sing loud from our hearts and hear one another.
Thanksgiving
…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:18
We must learn to give thanks. Thanksgiving is the only item that showed up on the list twice (1 Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 5:20). This is clearly the will of the Lord. And this is how we experience God’s presence, by the way. We enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise (Psalm 100:4).
I plan to delve deeper into the topic of giving thanks next month, just in time for the American Thanksgiving holiday. After that, I think it will take one more article to discuss the more “horizontal” items on the list, such as submission to one another, submission to authority, and sexual purity. These are all the will of the Lord.
Sing. Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks. Give thanks again. We’re working through the list of things that are clearly described as being God’s will, and all of these dynamics reinforce each other through the power of the Spirit.
Final Encouragement: Your Efforts Matter to God
Today, I want to encourage you. I know many of you reading this newsletter are a part of houses of prayer and praying churches. You are pursuing God’s presence with passion and faithfulness. Sometimes your efforts may feel weak or futile. You may wonder if it’s worth showing up to the prayer room or the worship gathering, especially if the crowd is small.
Let this article today be a reminder for you: it is God’s will that you do these things. Don’t worry about the size of the crowd. Focus on obeying the Lord. Be filled with the Spirit. Sing. Rejoice. Give thanks. Pray constantly. Do it in a community. Do it constantly. Don’t quit. Have fun. Enjoy the Lord and enjoy His people. This is God’s will for your life!
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:17-21
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. I Peter 2:13-15
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality. I Thessalonians 4:3