This morning I saw a post from a friend on Facebook. It was a question that many ask, and I felt compelled to answer it with more than a clever quip, cliche, or copy-and-pasted quotation.
The question was:
“How do you know you are where you are supposed to be and doing what God has called you to do?”
Below is a word-for-word copy of what I wrote (names omitted). I hope that by sharing it here it will help others beyond the realm of Facebook.
[For all my friends]
Whenever people ask how to know God’s will – especially when it includes questions like, “How do I know I’m where God wants me to be?” – I have to ask some [three] clarifying questions.
First, are you doing what you already know He wants you to do? I mean, just start with the basics like do you read the Bible and pray to your Father just to get to know Him? Or, do you only do these things when there is a need? He desires our fellowship like any father or friend, you know. Are you telling others about Him? Are you putting Him first? Are you doing your best with the “talents” He has given you? “Whatsoever you do, do it with all your heart, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23). These are important first steps.
Second, is your heart aligned with the heart of God? Remember, we want to do HIS will, not ours. However, God does promise to give us the desires of our heart, if, of course our desires are HIS desires. How is this possible? Well, go back to the first question – are you spending time with Him for love’s sake? Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Third, would you be OK with wherever you are, or wherever you went, if you KNEW it was God’s will for your life? The Apostle Paul, as you know, had it good, bad, was rich, was poor, in bad situations and good, yet he said: “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11). If your prayer is, “Wherever, Lord, I will serve you,” then He will bring fulfillment to your life wherever you are. You will see Him working through your life. You will know that wherever you are, He is with you.
Once you have truthfully answered the above three questions, be a light where you are, let God open and close the doors, and walk in faith. If you are in close fellowship with the Father, follow the desires of your heart, for He wants to give them to you. But understand, even in the following He may lead you places you never knew you’d enjoy. Just like when Paul had a desire to go to Asia to preach, the Holy Spirit prevented him and led him to a place he never intended – Europe (Macedonia). Paul was certainly in God’s will and trying to do what He thought was right, but the Holy Spirit used that momentum to take him in a direction he never saw coming and didn’t even know was needed.
Lastly, understand this important truth: Our Father in heaven wants us to be mature. Just like any other parent, He wants us to grow up in our faith and walk so that we don’t have to be led around like little babies (not saying you are). He wants us to think and act with a transformed mind, one that is becoming more and more like Christ, and do the things that we think He would do – we are His body. The desires of your heart, if aligned with His, will give you the freedom that Grace affords to step out in faith, trusting what you are doing is His will. But rest assured, He will never leave you nor forsake you, and His arms are there to catch you and redirect you if you fail while in the process of trying to please Him.
Oh, one more thing: His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9), and no matter the direction we take, the decisions we make, the places we work, or whether we stay or go, God is our Sovereign King – He is still God – and He is always in control.
One of my favorite verses from Proverbs (and the Bible) is Proverbs 16:33. It reads:
The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof [is] of the LORD. – Proverbs 16:33 KJV
Or, as another translation puts it:
We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall. – Proverbs 16:33 NLT
Others have mentioned Proverbs 3:5-6, and those verses sum it up nicely. Trust in the LORD with ALL YOUR HEART, and lean not, like a crutch, onto your own understanding, or at least what worldly common sense my dictate. Instead, in ALL your ways (the things of your life) acknowledge Him (put Him first), and He will direct (make sure you walk in the right direction) your paths.
God bless!
The Recovering Legalist 
Very good. Thanks!
Great thorough answer.
It’s nothing new or mind-blowing, nothing with a marketable hook — and sometimes that’s what we’re too busy looking for: the magic bullet, the special answer. Like Naaman, we want “one weird trick to get blessings from God” and the simplicity of obedience is kind of, “oh… just this?”
On a similar note, I had an experience years ago in the military where I had a choice between staying at my duty station another three years or moving to a different one. I struggled for the longest time trying to figure out which option was God’s “perfect will,” because both had things going for them.
Eventually, my commander happened to ask how I was doing, and I shared my dilemma, knowing he was a man of faith. He smiled, and off the cuff said, “Sometimes I see people worry that they might miss God, that if they go this way or that, then God suddenly won’t be there. But I find great comfort in the promise of Hebrews 13 that tells me He will never leave us or forsake us. Wherever I go, I know He promises to be with me.”
I hear that same voice of wisdom in what you’re sharing here: “keep the first things first, and trust that God will take care of what concerns you.”
Thank you for that. Isn’t great, also, when God graciously puts us with superiors who follow Him? Blessings, my friend.
Excellent.