Dear Nadia,
How can I know what God's will for my life is? I've been praying for Him to show me what I should do, but I don't feel like I've gotten a clear answer yet. I have to make this decision soon. Is there a hint I'm not listening to?
-Torn
Dear Torn,
God has an amazing plan for you. In Jeremiah 29, He says that He has plans "to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future," and later on in the chapter He promises that you can always find Him (and His will) when you seek Him with all your heart. God loves incredibly! And although He longs for our lives to be free from all pain and full joy and love, we're human and we sometimes make bad choices that take us off of His path. So God is willing to pursue us each and every day to bring us back so that no matter what we do, we can still find His love and glory and still be able to do what glorifies Him!
According to John 6:40 and Ephesians 1:5-12, God's will is simply the fact that He wants us as His own - redeemed and loving Him! As you make your decisions, bring God into every aspect of it. Pray for guidance and peace, then think about your options. Talk about it with a parent, older sister in Christ - whether a young woman you look up to, your pastor's wife, or a lady from church - or make a list of the pros and cons of each decision. Take into consideration what will bless the Lord the most and make Him shine more brilliantly in the world!
Hopefully as you reflect on your options, God will help to make it clear. This might look like: sudden peace about one choice that you were unsure about before, God closing all the doors except for one, God moving so clearly to point at one option. Or it might not be clear at all! But whatever you choose, be peaceful! No matter what you do God will find a way to work through it and you will find a way to glorify Him. I pray right now that the Lord will totally anoint you with His peace. 'Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with [you]!'
(2 Thessalonians 3:16)
All of us LAT staffers will be praying for you as you discern God's will for your life! God bless you girl!
Did you know that Nadia has 'freckled eyes'?!
Very nice post! This is something I constantly struggle with, but I'm starting to learn to "hear God". He's opened my heart up so much this past month and is really changing me in amazing ways!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, Nadia!
I love this! My life and perspective just transformed earlier this year when I read "Found: God's Will" by John MacArthur. Basically if we delight in God, we can do what we want because it's blessed! I'd recommend Acts 16:6-10...just keep going in life, bumping into closed doors until you find just the right opening from the Lord.
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