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Finding the Will of God?: A Pagan Notion?

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Many sincere believers in their commendable desire to seek God's will wind up using very un-Biblical methods of guidance. With the knowledge of a Biblical scholar, the clarity of an excellent teacher, and the wisdom of one who has walked with the Lord a long time, Bruce Waltke has given us a wonderful summary and practical description of what it truly means to seek God's will (and Waltke explains and clarifies all the meanings that phrase can carry). As the author would say, "One does not divine God's will. One lives God's will as one comes to know Him through His word." (pp. 71).

This is not merely a critique of many modern ways of "seeking God's will", but also a Biblical description of God's pattern of guidance for the believer. As his later chapter titles sum up, God's program for guidance includes (in order): Read your Bible, Develop a Heart for God, Seek Wise Counsel, Look for God's Providence, Does this Make Sense? and (rarely) Divine Intervention. Dr. Waltke has reminded us all that our Father is not one who hides His overall purpose for our lives, and the author does a great job of showing us how our loving Father guides and leads His children. Pick up a copy today - even if you aren't facing a "major decision" right now, it will still help you gain wisdom and direction in how to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

When one starts to read this book one will be shocked to find out that many professing Christians today practice the same type of paganistic rituals that they condemn. Waltke shows the reader in this book that "tapping" into God's will through various silly routines and rituals to find out what career to launch into, who to marry, what school to attend, etc. is no different from a pagan offering a gift to his god to look for divine knowledge. The book is divided into two main parts. The first part investigates the idea of "finding God's will." Waltke nicely summarizes the various ways Christians seek God's will and concludes that the methods often employed are nothing but paganistic (e.g., blindly opening up the Bible and pointing to a particular passage as God's word for you today). The second part deals with how Christians can TRULY know what God wills. Waltke's main contention is that God's Holy Word (Scripture) and the Holy Spirit that lives within us (who gives us holy desires) offer believers guidance in pointing to what God wills from believers. It is refreshing to read a well-respected scholar bringing us back to the Bible when it comes to discerning God's will. Too many Christians these days do silly rituals or look for "divine signs" to know God's will. However, as Waltke points out, God does not give his revelatory light if we are searching for it. Other key points Waltke makes is that we must seek wise counsel from mature Christians when we are at a fork on the road in our lives, that God's providence provides us with information (even though we may not understand at the beginning why God allows, sometimes difficult, events to occur), and that Christians must use their common sense (which is part of common grace) when making a decision. In all of these points, Waltke's main point is that we cannot allow circumstances, "signs", other people, etc. to usurp the authority of Scripture and the Spirit's illumination when reading it in finding God's guidance for our lives. Though God did employ supernatural methods to speak to the saints during biblical times, Waltke states that this is not the norm. Even if God can employ supernatural methods to speak to his children he has given us ample information in Scripture. Therefore, God does not need to come down and appear as a light to reveal what he requires and wills. Too many modern evangelical churches (especially of the radical charismatic sorts) have allowed Scripture to be buried underneath the fantastic and spectacular. Waltke, however, rightly points us back to Scripture and rightly points out that what God wills for ALL Christians is that they be faithful and holy during their Christian pilgrimage. I highly recommend this book to all Christians. It will help Christians realize what to sift out of their so-called Christian practices and how to employ biblical methods in discerning what God wills for our lives - which is to be a holy priesthood in a world ravaged by sin.

I once knew a Christian who was considering buying a new sports car. In order to determine what God's will was on the issue, she opened her Bible, at random. The verse she picked happened to mention silver--the color of the car. She took that as God's approval for purchasing the car. Similar horror stories are scattered through Waltke's "Finding the Will of God." He wrote about common mistakes (Pagan mistakes) Christians use to conjure up God's will. More importantly, Waltke outlines how we can actually live in God's will, without relying on superstition, guesses, or other poor theologies.

His advice is amazingly simple and refreshingly sound. He lists steps, such as reading the Bible (to actually know God, and not some random verse), seeking the advice of Christian friends, etc. Essentially, his advice boils down to this: know God. Waltke wrote that the God who would give his own Son to save us, would not hide his will. We don't need to search for his will, as much as need to focus on knowing God.

This book was recommended to me by a friend who is the theological librarian at a divinity school. I was struggling with some choices and "Finding the Will of God" offered clear, biblical, and practical ideas. Waltke's style is easy to understand. The chapters are arranged in a logical sequence, and are short enough to read through easily. Most of all, the book really made me think about what it means to "know God." I would strongly recommend this book to any Christian, but especially to those who are concerned about making biblical decisions and living a life that pleases God.

IT always amazes me that those who read and study their Bibles know more about it that those who would get their theology from an emotional worship service. THis book had about the same impact on me that lightnng has on a tree. Personally, this book could not have come at a better time; I was pleading with "wishy-washy" Christians to go to the Bible for discernment on wether this was God's will.
Dr. Waltke bridges the gap between scholar and lay person without compromising truth. The first chapter he gives horrid examples of Christians who follow mis-guided adivce (we are all guilty of at least one example) adn later on in the book he shows the biblical counterpart. The Book is not very long, esay to read, and packed with dynamite. The Chapter on 'reading the bible' is worth the price of the book. Again those who read their bible, this will not come as a surprise. However, if you get your direaction from extreme emotions, this book will be a painful challenge. I really wanted to give the book 18 stars but that was not an option. By the book. Ask for as many free copies as you can and give them to your sorely sincere but misguided friends...

In a world of individualism and thinking that God's will is all about "me" here is a book that challenges this notion from the point of view that it is not even a godly way to think. For people serious about knowing 'God's Will' this book is a must read.

No matter where one is in their Christian walk, I am convinced that anyone would receive eye-opening gems of wisdom by reading this book. A relatively short and easy read, Waltke's style of writing is superb. He fully backs the entire book with a plethora of scripture and provides easy-to-understand real life sceanarios. I would recommend this book to any Christian; especially young Christians struggling with God's will.

Right off the bat I have to say that one of the highlights of my academic career was taking a class from the author of this book on "Proverbs" about a decade ago. I was inspired to read everything Bruce Waltke writes, not only because he is one of the finest Hebrew Scholars and teachers of the Old Testament in the world, but also because he is a humble bible scholar who exudes the fruit of the Spirit as Paul describes it in Galatians 5:22-23. I will never forget his kindness shown to me as I picked his brain over theological and ministry issues I was wrestling with at the time, and how he patiently and wisely counseled me. I will forever be indebted to his wise advise, and believe that his counsel will continue to pay many dividends for others - as much of what he shared with me in that class on Proverbs are principles for the many who will read and apply in his very helpful book on decision making for followers of Jesus.

The Book is simply divided up into two parts. Part one is the shorter of the two parts and consists of chapters on: 1) Is Finding God's Will a Biblical Idea? 2) How Pagans Divine the Will of God; and 3) God's Will in the Old Testament. In summary Waltke does an excellent job of demonstrating that much of what passes for "finding" God's will is sheer laziness and what the Bible condemns as the practice of divination. Waltke writes, "When we seek to `find' God's will, we are attempting to discover hidden knowledge by supernatural activity. If we are going to find his will on one specific choice, we will have to penetrate the divine mind to get his decision. `Finding' in this sense is really a form of divination."

Dr. Waltke gives a compelling case for Christians thinking in terms that are more Biblical - instead of trying to find God's specific will - "Far too many Christians rely on faulty logic to divine the will of God. Their thinking goes like this: `God has a plan, and therefore He intends that I find it.' That is a non sequitur, a conclusion that cannot logically follow the premise. Simply because God has a plan does not mean that He necessarily has any intention of sharing it with you; as a matter of fact the message of Job is in part that the Lord in His sovereignty may allow terrible things to happen to you, and you may never know why."

Rather humorously (yet on a serious note related to how faith is manifested in a variety of ways for all believers) he continues, "Instructively, the outcomes of faith for the first three heroes of faith celebrated in Hebrews 11 vary considerably. Abel believed God, and he died; Enoch believed God, and he did not die; Noah believed God, and everybody else died! The only thing they all had in common is that they believed God and it pleased Him."

Practically, Waltke states, "So when I wonder about what job offer to take, I don't go through a divination process to discover the hidden message of God. Instead I examine how God has called me to live my life, what my motives are, what he has given me a heart for, where I am in my walk with Christ, and what God is saying to me through His Word and His people."

He carefully evaluates many of the instances of Divine guidance recorded in the Old Testament and then shows what does, and does not carry over into the New Covenant. Which brings us to part two.

In part two Dr. Waltke breaks down how God guides us first through His Word, then through heartfelt desires, followed by the wise counsel of others, through our circumstances, and ultimately why we must rely on sound judgment based on all these previous factors.

Dr. Waltke says there are five primary factors to consider when seeking to be obedient and guided by the Holy Spirit in our decision making process:

1) Make your decision in light of Scripture (our decision should be affirmed by and never contradict the teaching of the Bible - e.g. - Acts 15; Acts 13:46-47; Malachi 2:16 cf. with Matthew 5:32 & 1 Corinthians 7 with Galatians 2:14).

2) Make your decision in light of your giftedness (In other words seek to operate in areas of your God-given strengths - e.g. - Acts 6:2-3; Rom. 12:3).

3) Make your decision according to your ability ("Know who you are. Evaluate your abilities and talents. Don't try to be what you're not, because if you do you will live in a constant state of anxiety" - e.g. - Moses in Deuteronomy 34:10-12).

4) Make your decision according to your circumstances (e.g. - Paul in Acts 16 & 1 Cor. 16:5-9 - he based his decisions on sound judgment in light of the circumstances he was in).

5) Make your decision according to an Overall Strategy (e.g. - Paul in 2 Cor. 1:15-18, 23-24; 2:1).

The essence of Waltke's thesis is summarized close to the end of the book where he writes, "He [God] never calls us in the New Testament to `seek His will,' but rather to seek His kingdom and do His will. We ought to stamp out of our vocabulary the nonbiblical and misleading expression `finding God's will.' Rather than talk about `seeking the will of God,' we ought to speak of following the guidance of God. This is not just semantically different, since He is calling us to draw close to Himself and to live holy lives. God's will for us is that we be holy; there is no mystery to His will. As for questions about changing jobs, getting married, going to school, and the like, finding answers will require growing close to God [author's emphasis in italics]."

Overall, I highly recommend this book for its theological and biblical foundations, it's dismantling of the notion of divining God's secretive will for us, it's emphasis on closeness and intimacy with God as a key to His guidance, and for the excellent illustrations, practical applications, and how Dr. Waltke shares how God guides biblical characters and modern followers of Christ today throughout the book.

Suggesting this to my pastor as a book study for Sunday school curriculum. Perhaps the best Christian book I have ever read.

I had a great experience with this purchase. I received it on-time and at a great price! Thank you for your service!

This book brings sanity to the idea, desire and the application of finding God's will for a Christian's life.