Have you ever asked this question?
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What does God have planned for my life?
I know I have. In fact, I have asked it at various turning points of my life. Now that I am a cancer survivor, cancer-free for 6 years, I have been asking that question again. You see, the answer changes over time. It’s not a 1 answer for all time kind of thing. What you are ready for at 20 is very different from what you can do with experience at 40.
So if we are going to be asking this question over and over, we need a good way to get an answer! Right?
Since I have struggled through finding an answer to this question several times in my life already, let me take a stab at some ways to find the answer. This will also help me as I am currently asking the same question.
- How do we know what God has planned for our life? Your life and my life, are 2 very different set of circumstances. God has created each one of us as a unique human being. We have different skills, and different experiences, and different circumstances. I am a cancer-survivor. You may be single, or a mom with kids. You may have a full-time job, or need to work from home.
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So, how do we all get our own unique answer to the question?
#1 — The 1st priority is we need to start with prayer.
For example, “Lord Jesus, I’m confused. I don’t know what you want me to do. I need some guidance. I want to do something good, something useful for people and in God’s will. I also need to make money for my family. Can I do both? Please give me an answer. Tell me what you have planned for me to do. What is my next step? Thank you for your help. Thank you for the many blessings you give me and my family. Thank you for our home. Thank you for the beautiful spring flowers that are starting to bloom. I will trust you to answer this prayer. I will be listening for your answer. Amen.” (You can pray something similar or totally different. Fill in your unique situation, and pray for help from our God.)
#2 – So next we get into listening mode.
Listening is hard for some people, but I listen pretty well most of the time. This is what I do – I sit down to pray every morning. I give thanks. I pray for friends and family. Then I tell Jesus, “Lord, I am listening to you with the ears God gave me. Tell me what you want to say to me today.” Then I listen for an answer. Whatever answer I get, I write it down in a notebook with the date. It is very important to write it down, because believe me, you will forget it if you don’t write it down. That has happened to me too many times, so now I write it down.
Most of the time the answer I get is simple, maybe part of a Bible verse, or He may tell me I should rest today, or go for a walk, or help someone. Sometimes, what you need to do first is get yourself together, get organized, or get training. As time goes on, there may be a pattern of the type of things He tells you to do, or a direction it seems to be heading in. There may be certain words or phrases that are repeated over and over. That means you need to pay attention to that! (And, you know, write it down.)
#3 – Then we need to listen harder.
This part is like being a detective. We need to put together clues. The clues can come from several places. You may decide to read in the Bible and find a phrase that strikes you as something important. You might be doing a Bible study and a phrase pops out at you as one you heard from Jesus in prayer. A friend may be talking to you and say the same phrase or word. Again, if you listen for these repetitions, you will hear them, then write them down.
#4 – Now that we have some key ideas, and a direction this listening is taking us, take all the clues and go back to step #1.
Pray for clarification. Ask God, “Is this what you want me to work on? Is this Scripture directing me?” Then you know the rest. Go back through #2, #3 and #4 as needed.
At some point you will have enough information to start on a project. At first it may be something small, then as time goes on, it will grow. This is a process that we go through in life. Just be sure you go through it with Jesus Christ in your heart and by your side. Without Him, we are lost in confusion!
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