Book by John MacArthur
Review by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz
One helpful piece of advice I’ve received in reading books is to ask your pastor who he loves to read, but even more, to find out who their favorite authors are, and then to read their books. From there, you can have a good idea which authors they recommend, as well as books, and read those as well. Learning from wise men helps you to grow to be wise, especially if they point you to the God of wisdom, who gives wisdom to anyone who asks in faith without doubt (James 1:5-6).
It’s through that stream of guidance that I was made aware of John MacArthur’s very short book on God’s will, Found: God’s Will (Find the Direction and Purpose God Want for Your Life). In just 57 short pages, Pastor MacArthur helps guide you to understand and know God’s will for your own life through the source of divine wisdom, the Holy Scriptures. Preached later as a sermon*, this book promises, as the sixth principle, that you can do whatever you want, if the other five principles are being implemented in your life. The five principles are: (1) to be saved, (2) Spirit-filled, (3) sanctified, (4) submissive, and (5) suffering. It might sound like I’ve already told you all there is to need to know about this book, but if you are not well-aware of what the Bible says about any of these principles, you might be confused as to what God’s will is to be in your life.
The simplicity and clarity of this subject stems more from the simplicity and clarity of the Word of God on this subject. God’s Word fully addresses which college to attend, how to choose where to serve in the church, what mission field you could potentially give your life to, who to marry, and so on. The reason I am not adding in quotes is because it’s not only hard to choose what would be helpful, but more a hope that you would go and get this book and have a confident trust in what Scripture says God’s will is. To say it’s hard to find is a gross untruth. To find it in Holy Scripture is to learn to think God’s thoughts after Him, and that’s not a bad position to be in. It is as practical as it is short, and I am truly thankful that God would reveal His will in a way where we can never say we lost it.
* The link above links to the GTY archive which includes the official transcript and MP3. “Taking the Mystery Out of Knowing God’s Will,” is also available as a 6-part video on Youtube.