How to discover God's will for your life

Think back to your childhood. In infancy, you will have held many different views about how the world works, or should work, that you now understand were a little bit stupid. I remember, for example, the first time we got a scanner. Being the innocent child I was, I didn't understand why we couldn't photocopy money so I could have more toys and sweets. But obviously, my mother did. She was an adult, and realised that even if we could create some very convincing fake bank notes, that's illegal.

To God, we're always going to be that kind of child. Even as adults, we don't have His understanding. This manifests itself in a number of ways, including the desire to reinterpret the Scriptures to fit our own understanding or desires. But the context of Proverbs 3:5-6 isn't referring to intellectual understanding (though that applies equally) but to more personal scenarios. Think of your dream job. God might not want you to have it. Ouch, right? You might want to live in a particular area, but maybe God wants to send you in the opposite direction. Perhaps you have really strong feelings towards a man or woman, but they're not who God has in mind for you, even assuming He wants you to marry at all.

All of this, and more, is stuff that is in God's hands. Often, we don't understand why God has closed certain doors or pushed us through others. Our desires cloud our judgment, and that results in frustration. In these scenarios, God asks us to trust Him and let Him guide us. It's important to remember that God's foresight is better than our hindsight. Think back to that job. Are you fully equipped for it? Is it even a moral one? Perhaps one of your co-workers, or even your boss, would be incredibly dangerous to you. Perhaps, most importantly, placing you on an alternate path will lead you directly to someone to whom you can give the Gospel. Which is better to you? A job you love with 0 people saved, or a job you hate with at least one new person heading to Heaven?

Think of that place you want to live in. Are you perhaps needed where you are? If you move, will that harm someone? If you're being pushed somewhere else, maybe it's for your own protection. Maybe your dream location is soon headed for destruction, or maybe it's even already in trouble that you don't want to walk right into.

Think of your crush. Perhaps they are an unbeliever. Perhaps they are adulterous. Maybe they'd even be great for you, but a better fit to another person. God may have called one of you for a project that requires your full attention. And of course, who you marry will directly affect who your children will be, making this one of the most important issues God can influence.

All of these hypothetical scenarios don't even scratch the surface of what needs to be considered, and yet because humans are so feeble minded, we can't even see those. Some of us, myself included, even run around like headless chickens wondering what God's will for our lives is. But the good news is we don't have to consider an infinite amount of variables before we make any decision. The answer is simple: obey. Trust in God and obey His word to the best of your abilities and, as the Scriptures say, He will direct your paths. In other words, as long as you abide in Him, you can't make a wrong decision, because even the mistakes you make will ultimately achieve God's purposes.