The Permissive Will of God

Learning to trust God's will despite the outcome

I am in a season of discerning the will of God in my life. I used to be obsessed with this question, reading and watching sermons on the subject any chance I could. Incidentally, two of the best books I’ve read on this matter are Knowing God's Will: Finding Guidance for Personal Decisions by Blaine Smith and Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin's Path to God by Brennan Manning.

Brennan says in his book, “Trust is a gift to God, and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it” (Manning, 2).¹

I look at faith and trust in seasons of uncertainty this way. It’s so difficult, but it’s part of being a “living sacrifice,” as Paul says, and an “act of worship.” It feels sacrificial to trust when there is no clear way, or things seem hopeless.

Questions that arise are: “How do I know I will choose the right path?” “What happens if I make a bad decision?” and “Is there a bad decision?” A common prayer after all this is, “OK, God, just tell me what NOT to do.” or “Just eliminate the wrong decision, and then I’ll know what to do!”

If you’re facing illness or grieving a loss, there is no decision you can make, but there is usually only one prevailing question….“Why, Lord?”

Other times, quite often actually, I’ve found he does not answer the questions for the big things we are trusting him for. So, by faith, we are forced to decide and proceed with confidence (or doubt). In a frustrating and sometimes humorous twist, he does give you clarity on things you are not particularly worried about or praying over. This, I’ve found, is the key to understanding trust. Because you trust him in that area or you are not emotionally, financially, or physically dependent on it, you let go, and he guides you.

But the areas of trust are always the most precious and most critical and risky if we get it wrong: who to marry, where to go to school, what career to choose, where to live, healing from a disease, provision for financial difficulty, physical safety.

Trust is mandated, ruthless trust. Forsaking the outcome.

The Bible tells us that,

All things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 NIV

Trust is learning to trust God’s permissive will, his allowing a circumstance to happen even if it is not inherently God, and letting go of the outcome.

His perfect will is what is direct, just, and right; his permissive will is what feels confusing, muddy, and unjust. But Romans says these things still end up for the good of those who trust him.

Bible Stories That Show God’s Permissive Will

This is why it’s good to read the Bible cover to cover several times. It allows you to recall and bring to memory people who have been in similar circumstances. It gives you assurance that you are not, in fact, having a unique human experience but actually a very common one. These stories include:

1. The fall of Adam and Eve

2. Cain’s murder of Abel

3. Abraham’s lying about Sarah being his wife twice

4. Jacobs swindling

5. Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers

6. Enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt

7. Israel’s exile and oppression

And many more. These are bad things that happen to bad and good people, and yet God allowed it. A series of decisions were made to arrive at these outcomes. Sometimes, people sought God’s will, but many times, they did not. Ultimately, his perfect will prevailed in the form of the redemption of each of these situations and the redemption of humanity from these perpetual sins.

Back to discernment before an action, one of my favorite sermons on this subject is by the late great Tim Keller, aptly titled “Your Plans, God’s Plans.” Please watch if you’re going through a period of making a decision.

Dear Jesus,

Help us rest in your perfect will, and guide us to your rightful path. Keep our feet from stumbling along life’s detours. Keep us on the straight and narrow.

Amen

1. Brenan Manning, Ruthless Trust, HarperCollins, 2009.