Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 NIV
What if you could know what exactly God wanted you to do in a certain situation? The good news is: you can.
Ari is miserable in his job. He found a way to solve a problem that his boss had been struggling with for years, but that only made his boss look bad. “Should I change jobs?” he wondered. Ari is a follower of Jesus, so he prays and keeps a list of things he’s praying about on his phone. Then, he waits…and keeps on praying as he works.
How do we know what God wants us to do about real world things like our jobs, our relationships, our finances? The Bible tells us to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6). God says to us, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” (Psalm 32:8). He also says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it,” (Isaiah 30:21 NIV).
But the most difficult part in praying for answers is the listening. It’s important to record the questions we have for God—to actually write them down. It’s also important to realize that sometimes, God gives answers as we wait for His answer to become clear. He invites us to spend time reading what He says about His willingness to give direction in scripture (Matthew 7:7-11), sitting quietly and thinking or journaling through possible answers to the situations we’re facing. We can trust Him to respond.
As one poet reminds us: “Remember to set down your cross and rest with [Him] each day, for [He] will have the answers to the questions that you pray.”
