I received a call from a young man last week.  He asked for my prayers.  Life has dealt him some tough challenges.  That’s a generic way of saying that every day he faces an uphill battle against anxiety and depression, among other health issues.  If this challenge were a mountain, you’d call it Mt. Everest.  Yet despite the battle and his never-ending struggle, he remains a man of faith.  Unwilling to give in, this believer refuses to blame God for his troubles.  He simply asked two things.  “Will you pray for me?”  And “How do I find God’s will for my life?”

Signing up to be a prayer warrior on his behalf was the easy answer.  Helping him discover God’s will for his life… well, that’s going to be more involved.

Or will it?

His question stirred my soul.  So many people ask that question with a focus on a career, vocation, or marriage.  They seek an overarching, singular mission for their life.  They ask themselves, why am I here?

But this man’s heart sought something deeper.  I sensed he was asking less the “why” question than the “what”—if my challenges are never overcome, how do I live day to day?  How do I walk in faith when my path seems to forever be in a valley?

My mind first thought of Micah 6:8, where the Old Testament prophet says, “And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  Is that, I pondered, one way to describe God’s will for us?

Then I recalled:

Psalm 143:10:  “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3,4:  “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable…”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:  “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Peter 2:15: “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.”

Romans 12:2:  “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The more I searched the Word, the more verses came to life, revealing God’s universal admonitions. Yet the one from Romans 12:2 spoke to me more deeply than I expected. I could not ignore the verse that preceded it. In Romans 12:1, St. Paul said, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” St. Paul urged us to offer our bodies, our selves, to God. When our bodies perform acts of love and service, they become the means of spiritual worship, a way to honor and praise God. That’s what being a living sacrifice is all about. And that, along with renewing our minds, helps us discern God’s will.

It isn’t complicated.

Meditating on these verses reminded me of a scene in the television drama series The Chosen, about the life of Christ.  Matthew, a disciple of Jesus, is shown developing a friendship with the Roman Centurion Gaius.  In one conversation, Matthew explains to Gaius, “Every morning I wake up, my ideas and fears are jumbled.  I feel overwhelmed with doubt and regret. But if I just pause for a moment and remember, I have only one thing to do today.  Follow Him. The rest takes care of itself.”

The Scripture verses above, along with all the others like them, simply describe the behavior of those who have become living sacrifices by following Jesus.

I think the next time my young friend calls, I will encourage him to keep his eyes on who truly matters and say…

Just follow Him.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)