If you know the Lord, you have likely asked the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” That’s because you desire to obey God, to invest your time and talents in those things that honor and please him, to do what he wants you to do. Beyond this Spirit-led desire, the Bible also puts much emphasis on following the will of God. Paul tells us to be discerning about the “good and acceptable and perfect” will of God (Rom 12:2; see also Eph 5:17). Peter says that we should not live for human passions “but for the will of God” (1 Pet 4:2). And John says, “Whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). Furthermore, God has given us his Word so that we can discover what he wants us to do.

With all these blessings—our desire, God’s command, and God’s Word—you would think that finding God’s will would be pretty easy. Yet, many believers still scratch their heads at times. “I wish God would just tell me plainly what his will is for my life!”

Well, there are a few places—very few—in the NT where we are actually told exactly what God’s will is for us. For example, 1 Thess 4:3 says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.” God desires our moral purity. Any path we take in life needs to lead us away from the immorality of the world so that we embrace the Lord with true fidelity.

We are also told in 2 Pet 2:15, “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” Peter is speaking in context of living as good and righteous citizens in the world in which we are pilgrims. Therefore, it is always God’s will that we seek to live peaceably as a testimony of the hope we have in Christ.

But there is one other passage that comes to mind. 1 Thess 5:16–18 says, “Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. In one of the very few places where God explicitly says, “This is my will for you,” we find the spiritual activities most associated with Thanksgiving. On this day, we especially take time to rejoice in God’s goodness, to pray to him with gratitude, and to thank him for his many blessings, whatever our current circumstance.

I realize that any time we purpose to follow God’s Word we are seeking to live out the will of God. But I also find it significant that given the very few times the Scripture tells us precisely what the will of God is, one of them is to give thanks. Whenever we pause to thank God for blessings or trials, times of ease or times of challenge, we are doing what God wants us to do.

Furthermore, we don’t need a special season to do God’s will. Living a morally sanctified life, or a good and righteous life keeps us living in the will of God every day. Likewise, living a life of thanksgiving and rejoicing keeps us in the will of God every day.

I trust that you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with family and friends, and quality time to thank God and reflect upon his goodness to you. But also realize that when we thank God we are also walking in the will of God. Conversely, if we fail to thank God, if we enjoy his goodness without pausing to acknowledge that it came from his hand as a gift to us by his grace, then we are out of the will of God.

It’s a remarkable thing, really, but our thanks to God is something he desires. And it keeps us in his will. So let’s commit ourselves to making Thanksgiving a part of our daily journey.