A Million Dollars’ Worth of Game:

Finding Your Place in God’s Will

I’ve been on a journey for a long time—a journey that started with me feeling completely lost. For years, I was a runaway, confused about what God’s will even was. I used to say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a Jessica,” and I was right, but maybe not in the way I thought. Fast-forward 25+ years, and I’m still here, but now I’m actively pursuing the Lord’s will. And as I began my walk with Him, I realized the key to understanding my part in His plan is a simple but powerful framework.

This is a million dollars’ worth of game I’m about to put you on, and the Lord commands us to teach this forward because it is our part in His Will.

There are three different types of will: Sovereign, Moral, and Individual.

The Sovereign Will

This is the big picture, the ultimate, unchangeable plan of God that is always at play in the everyday life. It includes things like where you were born, who your parents are, and the circumstances you find yourself in. This part of His will can’t be disobeyed; it’s what He has decreed to happen.

Biblical Example: The death of Jesus on the cross was a horrific act of human sin, but it was also the fulfillment of God’s sovereign plan to save humanity. It was “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23).
Common Day Example: A young professional who unexpectedly gets a layoff notice. The layoff itself is part of a sovereign event beyond her control. Her part in God’s will isn’t to figure out why it happened, but to choose how she responds.

The Moral Will

This is the part of God’s will we can find in the Bible. It’s the written law, the commands and principles for how we are to live. This will can be broken and disobeyed.

Biblical Example: God gave Jonah a very clear, Moral Will: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it” (Jonah 1:2). Jonah disobeyed this command because he didn’t want the people of Nineveh to be saved. He followed his own feelings, not God’s command.
Common Day Example: The Bible is clear that we are to forgive those who wrong us (Colossians 3:13). When a friend betrays us, our Moral Will is to forgive them. But our Individual Will—our desire for revenge or to hold a grudge—often gets in the way.

The Individual Will

This is where it gets tricky. We often want to find a separate, unique “individual will” just for us, as if God has a secret plan hidden away that we need to uncover. We wait for answers or a special sign, when in reality, this thinking often separates us from God and His will.

The real “individual will” is your choice to align with His. Do you want your own individual part, separated from His great work, or do you want to be a part of His will?

Biblical Example: When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus, she could have been paralyzed by fear or worried about the social consequences. Instead, she chose to submit to God’s plan, saying, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Her individual choice was to align with God’s sovereign and moral will.
Common Day Example: A person is faced with a choice to lie at work to cover up a mistake. They can follow their own individual will and lie to save themselves from trouble, or they can align with God’s Moral Will—to be honest—and trust that God will take care of the outcome. Their choice to be honest becomes a small but powerful part of living out God’s will for their life.

Our job is not to wait for a map with a giant “X” on it. Our job is to pick up our cross and get to work on His will that has been in motion since the beginning of time. Our participation is what makes His plan complete. When we choose to obey what’s written in His moral will, we find ourselves perfectly in place within His sovereign plan.

So, stop waiting for a billboard from heaven. Start living out the commands He has already given. That’s where you’ll find your part.

Thanks for joining me for some God’Sip and Tea.

As we wrap up, here’s a reflection question for you:

In your own life, what is one area where you’ve been waiting for a sign from God, when the answer might already be found in His Moral Will?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, or let me know if there are any other topics you’d love for me to write about!