Knowing the Will of God: Finding Clarity, Courage, and Confidence in His Plan

God’s Will Is Not a Mystery

Have you ever wondered what the will of God really is—or how to know if you’re walking in it? Many believers live in confusion, afraid to take a wrong step or make a wrong choice, as though God’s will were a secret maze designed to frustrate us. But God is not hiding His plan from you. He delights in guiding His children into clarity, confidence, and purpose. His Word and Spirit reveal the direction we need for every season of life.

Knowing the will of God anchors you when life gets difficult and gives you the courage to keep going when opposition arises. In this post, we’ll explore what it truly means to know God’s will, how to recognize His leading, and how stories like that of William Carey, the missionary to India, show us that obedience—no matter the cost—always leads to divine purpose.

God’s Will Is Not a Maze

The will of God is a topic that has perplexed many people, including myself. Some think His will cannot be known or understood. Many Christians go through life as though it were a maze, and God, the designer, had set it up to make finding the way difficult.

But this is not the nature or character of God. Throughout Scripture, we see Him consistently calling us to come to Him so that He can reveal His will. God has given us everything we need to navigate this life—including the ability to seek His will and to know it with certainty.

Why is knowing God’s definite will so important? Because it serves as an anchor when life throws its worst at you. We see this truth in the lives of the fathers of faith—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David—and even the Apostles. In more recent history, the story of William Carey, the missionary to India, demonstrates this beautifully.

The Story of William Carey: Perseverance in Purpose

William Carey, often called the father of modern missions, heard God’s call to go to India in 1793. His journey was not without opposition:

• 1792: Founded the Baptist Missionary Society.

• January 1793: Clearly heard God’s call to India, which was confirmed by friends and fellow ministers.

• 1793: Faced strong opposition from three groups—his church (which refused to support him), his wife (who was opposed to the trip), and the political authorities (who made missionary work illegal).

• November 1793: Through divine provision, he finally arrived in Bengal, India.

• 1794: Nearly died of dysentery; his 5-year-old son did not survive. It was his third child lost.

• 1795: His wife suffered a mental breakdown and later died 12 years afterward.

• 1799: Help arrived from England, but two of the four missionaries died within months

• 1800: After seven long years of labor, he finally saw his first convert.

• 1801: His closest friend and partner died

• 1812: A fire destroyed their printing press, wiping out over a decade of work—Bible translations, dictionaries, manuscripts

• 1814–1815: His founding partners died; new leadership took over, unsupportive of him

• 1821–1823: A series of deaths followed—his second wife, his first son, and his long-time printer and friend

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From a human standpoint, Carey’s story reads like a trail of loss and suffering. Many thought his trials were proof that he’d missed God’s will. Some even blamed him for his wife’s death, saying he had dragged her into a strange land against her will.

But before he ever left for India, he had heard God clearly. He knew it was God’s will to go—and that knowledge became his foundation.

The word he received from God held him steady through pain, loss, and hardship. That word fueled his focus and sustained his faith until he succeeded in his calling.

And because he stayed the course, God used him powerfully.

God’s Hand in the Midst of Pain

Despite the losses, Carey repeatedly saw God’s hand at work:

• He received wisdom, provision, and physical healing.

• He formed divine connections.

• He was instrumental in ending infanticide in the region.

• He helped abolish Sati, the horrific practice of burning widows alive—a fight that took 30 years to win.

• He helped lift the ban on missionaries.

• He established schools for Indian children and built Bengal’s first printing press and paper distribution system.

• He founded Serampore College, still in operation today.

If Carey had stopped at the first opposition, would he have seen all this fruit?

Carey’s story reminds us that opposition and pain are not proof that God is absent. The proof that God is with you is that He sent you.

Opposition Does Not Mean You Missed God’s Will

Many people miss God’s plan for their lives because they encounter resistance and assume, “This must not be God’s will.” But difficulty does not equal dismissal.

Remember—we have an adversary whose mission is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The enemy will resist any believer who walks in obedience. The only way to know whether a closed door is from God or from the devil is to discern the will of God.

When you know His will, you’ll know when to wait, when to kick the door down, and when to walk away. God expects us not to drift through life hoping to stumble into His plan, but to actively seek it out.

How to Know the Will of God

The Word of God is the will of God. Any direction you receive—whether through prayer, counsel, or inner conviction—must align with Scripture. The more we spend time in the Word, the more familiar we become with God’s voice.

So when a thought, impression, or idea comes, we can recognize it as His voice and hold on to it with confidence. God may not appear in a vision, but He confirms His direction through His peace, His Word, and wise counsel.

William Carey didn’t have a divine visitation—he simply knew in his spirit that God had called him, and his community confirmed it. That was enough.

It’s okay to wait until you’re sure about what direction to take. But it’s NOT okay to live passively and let circumstances decide for you. If we take the path of chance, chances are we’ll take the wrong one.

The Prayer of Consecration: Understanding “Thy Will Be Done”

Many believers reference Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane—“Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done”—as a model of surrender. But often, we misunderstand the context.

Let's look at the context briefly-

By this time, Jesus had lived about 33 years on earth, with the last three devoted to public ministry. His ultimate mission was to die as a substitute for us so that we might live.

He knew and expected the betrayal, the beating, and the humiliation that was coming. But in Gethsemane, He faced the most painful moment of His earthly life: The spiritual separation from the Father, The One with whom He had been since before the foundation of the earth. The one with whom He was one. The one whom He came to earth to display to the people. And he was set to do all of this because He loved the Father and wanted to see His will done. Such was His emotional torment.

The agony wasn’t just physical—it was emotional and spiritual.

When Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done,” He wasn’t uncertain about God’s will.

He already knew it.

He knew exactly why He had come—to lay down His life for humanity. What He wrestled with in the garden was not confusion, but consecration.

He faced a painful choice: remain with the Father and let humanity perish against God's will, or be separated from the Father for a time so we could be reconciled forever according to God's will.

When Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done,” He was yielding His emotions to God’s already revealed purpose. That’s the heart of true surrender.

This type of prayer is not for when we don’t know God’s will—it’s for when we do know, but our flesh resists the cost of obedience.

Walking in Clarity and Confidence

Once you know what God wants you to do, move forward with faith—even when it’s hard. You will face obstacles, but with God, you can overcome them all.

Ephesians 5:8–10, 15–17 reminds us:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light...finding out what is acceptable to the Lord... Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

God’s will is not hidden—it’s revealed to those who seek Him.

So, seek His Word, listen for His voice, and let His direction anchor your heart.

Like William Carey, your obedience—no matter the cost—can change the world.

I love you,

Oyin.