When a teen seeks God’s will for relationships, finances, etc. and they’ve been following Jesus faithfully, what they’re really asking is, “What is God’s intentional will for (fill in the blank)?” They want to discern the ideal way God wants them to live. This is where we point them to Scripture on specific topics.
The Bible may or may not lay out God’s intended plan for humans regarding that question. If it does, cool. If not, then that’s where the work of learning discernment begins.
2. Circumstantial Will
Next, the question may quickly arise, “What if sin, bad choices, or an unjust situation has disrupted what God wants?” What do we mean by God’s will in those situations?
Again, reflecting on Jesus, Weatherhead writes: But when Jesus was faced with circumstances brought about by evil and was thrust into the dilemma of running away or of being crucified, then in those circumstances the Cross was his Father’s will. It was in this sense that Jesus said, “Not what I will, but what thou wilt.” (The Will of God; Chapter 2)
Some teens ask questions regarding God’s will in circumstances where evil disrupted God’s intended plan. When they talk about sneaking out and losing their parents’ trust, the death of a loved one, thoughts of suicide or cutting, we remind them that God has an ultimate plan (redemption). He has a purpose for them in this circumstance if they are willing to trust him.
Openness to trust God is the beginning of the discernment process. And remember: Kids are coming to you, a spiritual leader, with their circumstantial question. So even if they’re not confident they can trust God in a situation? Point out they already started seeking out God by coming to you.
3. Ultimate Will
Finally, Weatherhead writes about God’s ultimate will in relationship to Jesus. The ultimate will of God means, in the case of the Cross, that the high goal of man’s redemption, or to use simpler English, man’s recovery to a unity with God—a goal which would have been reached by God’s intentional plan had it not been frustrated—will still be reached through his circumstantial will. In a sentence, no evil is finally able to defeat God or to cause any “value” to be lost. (The Will of God; Chapter 2)
In all conversations with teens about God’s purpose, we can be sure of only one “plan.” Scripture reveals that God doesn’t have a plan as much as a goal. That is the redemption and restoration of the whole world.
As the goal relates to humans, God’s intended plan is to lead us to love God with all that we have and to love our neighbors as ourselves, thus bringing glory to God. Encourage teens with this vision of their future. Inspire them to push toward God’s goal for them in Christ.
Finally, if you run into a kid like me—obsessed with that question, asking about it like a broken record, bringing it up at the most random moments during youth group? Please don’t dismiss them or give them a Christian cliché. Instead, open them up to God’s dynamic relationship with us.
