In my own life’s journey, and through countless discussions with college students, I think the topic of discerning the will of God is one of the most pressing and confusing issues facing Christian students these days. In a world flooded with choices (just try choosing a breakfast cereal in the grocery store isle), big decisions, such as “who should I marry” or “what career am I called to” are stressful and overwhelming. Usually this stems from a misunderstanding of God’s will…many of us treat God’s will as a specific, detailed plan for our lives that we are supposed to figure out before hand, and then step into. We fear that we might “fall out of his will” by making the wrong choice. The end result is that, rather than making God-honoring decisions, we are left…well…paralyzed! The answer, I think, is to re-think how we think about God’s will…
…and this is exactly what Kevin DeYoung’s book, “Just Do Something” is all about! This short and concise (122 pages) book is extremely practical, theologically precise, and winsomely written. In my opinion this is the best recent book on the topic!
DeYoung suggests that we need to stop treating God’s will like a “corn maze” where we’re always afraid of making the wrong turn, or a “tightrope” we could fall off of at any moment, or a “bull’s-eye” we can never seem to quite hit. Instead, we need to think of God’s will in a number of senses (see esp. chapter 8 of the book): first, God has what DeYoung calls a “will of decree.” In an ultimate sense everything that takes place in the universe is a part of God’s sovereign will. He even allows sin and evil to somehow work out in the equation, and he guides all things, including our lives, towards his purposed ends. We can only know this sovereign will of God in hindsight. Secondly, God has what DeYoung calls a “will of desire.” This is all that God has revealed to us about how he wants us to live. We find this will laid out clearly in Scripture, and we should constantly seek to understand and live by God’s will of desire. So, the questions remains, does God have a specific plan for our lives, a “secret will of direction” that he expects us to figure out before making decisions? The answer, according to DeYoung, is yes and no. Yes, God does have a specific plan for our lives, but no, he doesn’t expect us to figure it out before acting! Rather, decision-making should be based on the process of wisdom – finding out what God’s revealed will says on the topic, bathing decisions in prayer, seeking wise counsel, and then “just doing something!”
I strongly recommend this book for any student who is tired of being paralyzed by the fear of falling out of God’s secret plan for their lives. By the end of the book, you’ll feel free to pursue God with all of your heart, practice the way of wisdom, and get moving!
