When I first noticed this book on my Daddy’s bookshelf (one of the many shelves holding his collection of Shepherd’s Conference books), I was attracted to the phrase “will of God” in the title. I had formed the habit in the past year off picking up books that claim to tell one how they might discover God’s will for their life. After a quick perusal, it was immediately apparent that this book was just like the others in one sense; it did not contain a chapter entitled “The step-by-step outline for Carrot's life”. What it did have though was a very freeing, very different way of looking at decisions and God’s will.
"Christians cherish a mythology that, along with their theology, shapes and directs their lives. Perhaps no myth more strongly influences us than our understanding of how to know the will of God...yet when we ask, "How can I know the will of God?" we may be raising a pagan question. In the ancient world kings and generals consulted the oracles to gain guidance from the gods for their plans. The oracles provided such direction by vague and illusive counsel, and worshippers could read into the enigmatic responses what their hunches told them to do. Convinced that their plans had the stamp of the gods, generals could lead their troops into battle with unfounded courage. By 300 B.C., however, the oracles had gone out of business. Too often they had led their devotees to staggering defeat.
If we ask, "How can I know the will of God?" we may be asking the wrong question. Scripture does not command us to find God's will for most of life's choices, nor do we have any passage instructing us on how it can be determined....Garry Friesen insists that we must change the question. Instead of wondering, "How do I find the will of God?" a better question to pursue is "How do I make good decisions?" Answering that question stands as the central purpose of this book. The Bible does not provide a map for life, only a compass. But through this book you will discover how that compass can guide you over the bewildering terrain." - From the Foreword
The book is divided into four sections; the first explains what the traditional view about God's will is; the second is a critique of that view; the third explains Friesen's view, which he calls "the way of wisdom" and contains a biblical defense of it; the fourth applies the wisdom view to important decisions in a Christian’s life (marriage, vocation, going into ministry, and more). Also in the fourth section is a chapter entitled Wisdom When Christians Differ. It and the following chapters contain a fabulous explanation of Christian freedom, convictions, and unity in Christ.
Friesen has an easy to read style, making this 400+ page book surprisingly readable. I especially appreciated the way he seeks to present his views with expository Bible teaching. He is very careful in his handling of the Scripture, and it is easy to see that he was doing his best to show what God's Word really says and not just using it to teach his opinion. The reader is not left wondering if a verse he sites is taken out of context. Friesen also begins and ends the book exhorting his readers to take the views and doctrine that he is teaching to the Lord in prayer and to always test it against scripture. This book is a must read for anyone who has ever wondered about God’s will for their life. |
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Mar. 14, 2008 - Good review