I count twenty-seven verses which speak of the will of God, but there may be more. I have listed them below in the order they appear in the Bible. However, simply counting the verses where the phrase “will of God” appears is probably not a sound method for discovering the will of God. God has revealed himself to us throughout his Bible; his will is expressed from start to finish.
Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. And they put him in custody, till the will of the Lord should be clear to them. (Lev 24:10-12)
Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death (1 Sam 2:22-25)
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. (Isa 53:10)
For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother. (Mark 3:35)
If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (John 7:17)
When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” (Acts 21:12-14)
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. (Rom 1:9-10)
And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Rom 8:27)
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:2)
I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. (Rom 15:30-32)
Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes (1 Cor 1:1)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia (2 Cor 1:1)
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. (2 Cor 8:1-5)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:1)
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph 5:17)
not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart (Eph 6:6)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother (Col 1:1)
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. (Eph 4:12)
For this is the will of God, your sanctification (1 Thes 4:3)
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thes 5:18)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 1:1)
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. (Heb 10:36)
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. (1 Pet 2:15)
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. (1 Pet 3:17)
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. (1 Pet 4:1-2)
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Pet 4:19)
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17)
I am full of thanks, joy and praise for all of you. I am so grateful for your hard work in the Lord. I am totally amazed on just how many times God reveals His will. It’s one of the questions I’ve asked myself, and we hear people say all the time, “I wish I knew what God’s will in my life was”? Well, now I know 27 of them. Thank you. David P