Which Way Do I Go Now?

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.  (Pvb 3:6)

Generally people don’t like the unknown.  The unknown can be frightening and the future is full of unknowns.  This can make it hard to make the right decisions on which direction to take in life.  We wait too long and miss a great opportunity.  We jump the gun and commit ourselves to something we should have let go by.  We make a decision, then we second guess ourselves and pull back or hesitate. 

Setting goals and coming up with a life plan give us a direction in which we can use to guide us in making decisions.  Unfortunately this doesn’t mean everything is going to work the way we want it to.  We can still make the wrong decisions or do the wrong things.  So what do we do?

Ask God!  James tells us we can ask God and He will answer, generously.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  (James 1:5)   So ask.  God will answer.

God has a plan for all of us.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11)  Since God calls us to be active in our walk with Him we can’t just sit around waiting for Him to reveal all the details to us.  We need to seek it passionately through prayer, reading our bibles, guidance from mature Christians and paying attention to what is going on around us.

As you start asking God about these plans you will find that it isn’t just some sort of script for you to follow.  It’s a journey with things for us to do along the way.  Another aspect of the journey is that God will not necessarily reveal all the details to us when we ask.  Why not?  We may need to learn something, to complete a specific task before moving on, or to maybe it’s to make sure we keep coming back to Him for guidance.  Whatever the reason, God will reveal His will in the proper time.  In the meantime He will always reveal everything you need to live for Him today.

In committing everything we do to God, doing it all for Him, we will be successful in accomplishing what God has planned for us in our life.  Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established. (Pvb 16:3)  How’s that for a promise?

 

A common concern that people have in seeking God’s plan for their life is often along the lines of thinking God is going to send them to some isolated tribe or group of people in Africa or the jungles of South America.  Does God send people to these places?  Absolutely!  Does God send everybody?  No.  If He did, all the Christian of the world would be in these locations working with the people there.  God needs us in our home town just as much as He needs us to travel to various parts of the world for Him.

If God does want you to do work for Him in another part of the world and you are truly seeking His guidance in your life, when the opportunity presents itself you will know it is the right thing to do.  That is what happened to me.  I had never really given much thought to going on any sort of mission trip, had even avoided talking to people I knew were looking for people to go on trips, but when I was asked by a friend and mentor about going on a trip with him I knew it was something God wanted me to do.  I can’t tell you how glad I am I went on the trip, it changed my life and my heart.  I have even been back a second time.  Something else to remember, not all these trips are life commitments, most trips people make are just a few days to a couple weeks in length.

God has both general and specific plans for our lives and wants us to fulfill our purpose in life.  Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6)  Allow Him to work in your life and complete that good work.

So what do you do while you are waiting for an answer to your prayers?  I think Jesus gave us a great example; For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)  Start by serving others, putting their needs ahead of your own.  That’s part of what serving God is all about.  God will reveal the rest to you.

There will always be a sense of mystery in following God’s plans for our lives, but we can be certain He will guide us as long as we rely on Him.