Your Longing Has a Name 5-Day Reading PlanSample

Your Soul’s Purpose

Have you ever wondered what God’s will for your life is?

We typically assume it has to do with life’s details: Should I take that position at work? Should I break up with that person? Should I major in that degree? Should I move to that city?

Whenever Scripture speaks about the “will of God,” however, it’s rarely describing the decisions we make; instead, it’s casting a vision for the person we ought to become. Why? Because until the vast chasm that is our inner life has yielded to the way of Jesus, we are powerless to wisely navigate the complexities of our outer life.

This explains why virtually every time you see the phrase “the will of God” in the Bible it is framed in terms of having a healthy soul.

For example, God calls us to:

• be holy (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

• pray and practice gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:17–18)

• walk in wisdom and be full of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:15–18)

• have renewed minds and surrendered lives (Romans 12:1–2)

• live worthy of the Lord (Colossians 1:9–10)

In all of these verses and many more, God’s will is defined as the hidden work of refining, growing, maturing, and chipping away at the old self in order to form the new, Jesus-mirroring self.

You might ask, “What should I do with all the decisions I still need to make? How do I navigate the details of my life wisely?” Here’s the wonderful truth: the more you cultivate your soul to be more like Jesus, the more you’ll be able to distinguish what the next step should be. The famous architect Louis Sullivan once remarked that when building a structure, “Form follows function.” In other words, the shape of the building ought to reflect the purpose for which it was designed. So, too, when we build our lives using the blueprint of Jesus, the details of life instinctively unfold.

Here’s an illustration that will require a lot of imagination—especially if you’re a parent. Let’s say your middle schooler suddenly announces: “Mom, I really want to help you clean! Can I please vacuum the house?” After you recover from your heart attack, you express how grateful you are: “Wow. That’s great, honey, thank you!” But then, imagine your child anxiously rushing up to you five minutes later: “Help! I don’t know where to begin! Where should I start?” You probably smile and reply that it doesn’t matter: “Any room will do!” You’re just grateful for their newfound mania for cleaning and even more grateful they’re developing selfless character.

As a parent, your primary goal is for your child to become godly, discerning, and wise. The room is irrelevant. Even how well they clean doesn’t matter. What matters is the flourishing of their soul.

As children of God, we sometimes get too hung up and anxious over life’s options: How do I know this is the right job? House? City? Church? Program? Again, it’s not that those questions don’t matter, but I often wonder if God smiles as a parent would and says: “Start anywhere! I’m just glad you’re my child.”

This world is God’s house; and time is fleeting, so enjoy it. Have fun! In the words of David, your soul’s purpose is to “delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Work on being the right person, and then go where your most beautiful prayers take you.

Ask where God is moving, then join him there.

Response

How is your soul’s health? Are you delighting in the Lord? Is he first in your life?

God’s will for your life is not about what you do but who you are. What kind of person are you becoming? What is the current trajectory of your soul?