“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”
— Psalm 143:10
It was a Saturday night when I went through my friends’ profiles and felt a surge of discouragement. While I felt like a failure, and I began asking myself, “Why?”
At first, I blamed God. My peers and everyone around me seemed successful and established. I felt like chaff, being blown everywhere and anywhere. My life seemed to lack direction and purpose.
I felt like the last green plant in a desert. Everywhere I looked, I could not find answers. Soon, depression crept in, and I found myself living in a dark world. The New Year arrived, and everyone was busy making resolutions.
As I scrolled through my phone, I opened my Bible app, and a question appeared on the screen: “How are you feeling today? Are you sad, happy, calm, blessed, or weak?” I chose weak, and then a verse popped up: “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” — Proverbs 23:26
I kept reading it repeatedly. I felt, and I knew, that the verse was speaking directly to me. And, with the last thread of hope I had, I asked through tears, “What are Your ways, O God? How can I know that it is You?”
Days passed, and there was no immediate answer. Still, I did not despair. I believed there was a reason God had brought that verse to my attention. Sabbath came, and I went to church. There, the pastor preached a sermon titled “Hearing God’s Voice and Understanding His Will.” I was stunned because God had answered me.
Amid the chaos and struggles of life, I believe many of us carry the same questions deep within our hearts: Who am I? Is my life worth it? Where am I going? Is God there? Does He hear me? What does He want from me?
I believe I have found an answer.
How to Seek God’s Will
1. Remember God Created You Intentionally
God created us because he needed us, and it is vital to understand your value in God’s eyes. You are not an accident, and your life is not without purpose. Knowing that can help you seek His will with confidence and humility.
2. Ask God to Show You His Will
Ask God to reveal His will and surrender your own to Him. Self must die in us so that Christ can reign in us. As we surrender, God can shape our lives and use us for His glory.
3. Pray
Prayer is how we bring our hearts before God. Talk to Jesus openly about everything that concerns your life. He invites us to come to Him, and He is never indifferent to our cries.
4. Trust Him
Sometimes the answer will not come immediately. Like a little child, we must learn to trust our Father even when we cannot see what He is doing.
5. Study His Word
Take time to know God. We learn His character, His ways, and His will through Scripture. The more we know His Word, the better we can recognize what aligns with Him.
6. Wait on the Lord
Waiting can be difficult, especially when we want answers now. But the Psalmist reminds us in Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”
7. Listen
Finally, listen. Do you listen to God, or has your relationship with Him become one-sided? God speaks through His Word, His Spirit, and His providence. Remove the distractions around you and make room to listen. Trust Him to lead you in His perfect timing.
God Has a Purpose for Your Life
In ancient times and today, God’s will is being done. The problem is often that we do not seek Him or learn to discern His leading. God had purposes for Samson, David, Joseph, and Moses. If God worked through the lives of the patriarchs and prophets of old, why would we assume that our lives are meaningless to Him?
Your life matters to God.
Seek Him. Surrender to Him. Pray. Study His Word. Wait. Listen.
God has a personal purpose for you.
