It’s important for us to recognize that there is a difference between God's specific will and God's revealed will. Most of the questions that we have about the will of God revolve around his specific will, meaning what's God's personal will for my life? Who does God want me to marry? Should I break up with him? Should I ask her out? Where should I go to college? Where should we live? Should we make this move? We make it very personal. So, God’s specific will is a reference to his will for your personal life. But in Scripture, we also read about what we would call the revealed will of God, meaning that there is a lot in the Bible where God is very clear and very specific about his revealed will.
For example, it’s God's will for you that you pray for your enemies. So, when you have someone who has done you wrong, has mistreated you, has been disrespectful to you, seems to have it out for you, or has gossiped about you behind your back, and you ask God, “What's your will for me to do to this person? How should I get even? What kind of vengeance should I take?” God's will is that you would pray for them. He's already made that clear through his revealed will.
As we study the life of Joseph, we clearly see this relationship between God’s revealed will and his specific will. Joseph demonstrates this beautifully, because he walks in God's revealed will, and as he does, he lives out God's specific will. Joseph shows us that if you first align yourself with God’s revealed will, and then you will begin to experience his specific will more clearly.
Discussion/Reflection Question: What area in your life are you asking God for his specific will although you might not be aligned with this revealed will?
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