God does not reveal His will to someone who has no intention of following it.
If your idea is to weigh your options and choose what suits you after God begins to lead you on a path He intends for you to follow, you will wait in vain to hear from Him. Submission comes before revelation. Someone has said that God’s will is exactly what you would choose if you had all the facts; your submission in advance indicates your faith that God does not only have all the facts, but has the best intentions for your life.
Living a victorious and joyful life does not start from your perspective and then negotiating with God to secure what you desire, but choosing God and knowing that He is enough. He is your life. Doing His will, empowered by His provision, simply becomes a by-product of your intimate walk with Him.
But what if God’s will for you is suffering? What if the process of conforming you into the image of Christ includes trials designed to mortify your flesh and strengthen your spirit—yet the process at times seems unbearable? Romans 8:12-29 fully addresses this question, summarizing God’s intention by stating that as His children we are joint heirs with Christ – if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together (8:17).
Total surrender to God is required to fully embrace such truth, and Romans 12:1 indicates that from God’s perspective, total surrender to Him is reasonable! 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 adds that you are not your own because you are bought with the blood of Jesus Christ for the purpose and glory of Almighty God.
The initial response, when we stop to consider this reality (instead of reading the words and quickly moving on to other topics), is usually polite incomprehension or a twinge of fear. At worst, we might say “no!” to God, as in, “I’m not ready for this. I need your blessing, not testing.”
It is not an easy lesson to learn that complete trusting surrender touches and enriches the deepest reaches of our being, often through suffering. The Apostle Paul learned that fact through his enormous trials (see the extensive list in 2 Corinthians 11:23-12:10) and went on to discover incomparable joy and peace in letting God have full control of his life. He explained in a letter to the Philippians that they should not be anxious about anything, but to let their requests be known to God by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving (4:4-7).
Paul’s complete surrender to God’s specific will for his life expressed a very genuine faith that led him on to unimaginable spiritual heights. We may never be called to follow all that he experienced, but we can follow his example, to the benefit of our souls for the glory of God.