I Will Trust In You: The Difficult Practice of Stepping into the Unknown with Prayer, Faith, and a Vision
God has a purpose for you. He has a plan for your life and is working everything for good. We all hear this often and while it is true, life can sometimes make you question it and wonder whether you stepped off from God’s path some unknown day ago and have never stepped back on it. If you’re feeling aimless or without purpose, it’s easy to fall into a spiral of negativity or doubt and find yourself in a place where you fail to take a chance or make a step forward.
So how do you remain faithful when venturing into unknown territory? Let’s look at this question a little more closely.
Finding God’s Purpose for Your Life
If you look around and see that everyone else’s life seems perfect, balanced, fulfilled, and driven by purpose and passion, but you find this lacking in your life, you might be searching for some answers. And while you are, in a sense, always living God’s purpose, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make choices towards something that will bring you more joy, love, and fulfillment.
The Mystery of Free Will and the Choices We Make
Perhaps you consistently ask yourself questions like: What is my purpose here? What should I do next? How do I step into God’s purpose for my life?
One of the greatest mysteries has always been about our choices and how those line up with God’s purpose. The balance between free will and God’s will is often one of the most difficult things to sort out for believers, especially when things get rough and we find ourselves faced with difficult choices, at a crossroads, or facing unspeakable tragedy.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3: 5-6 )
So how do you know when your path is the one God has laid out for you?
Signs That You are Not Fully Living in God’s Purpose
God never abandons you, but our choices matter. Making bad choices can lead us to a bad place and farther away from our faith. Below are signs that you may not be living in God’s purpose.
You’re living in sin. While we all slip from time to time, if your life is based around living in sin, constantly lying (to yourself or others), cheating, abusing your body, it’s likely that your connection with God has been muted and it has led you into a downward spiral.
There’s no joy in your life. Being an adult is challenging and has many unpleasant days, but if your life is consistently joyless, without laughter, positivity, or happiness you might need a change.
You feel stuck and without direction. Perhaps you want to live the life that God planned for you, but you feel stuck or aimless but are not sure how to get back on track.
If this seems familiar, remember, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Getting Back on the Right Path
God will not print out your future in a nicely formatted handout, nor will He spell out exactly every choice you must make to get there. It’s a little more complicated. That’s when faith and understanding the Lord comes in; when we build a relationship with God, learn to listen, and trust Him and ourselves, we can make our way to the lives we are destined for.
Begin with prayer and building a relationship with God. If you feel aimless and as if you are wandering with no direction, call out to God. Ask for wisdom and illumination to move forward. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him as God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6)
Dive Into Scripture. God’s Word holds a lot of wisdom. Through God’s Word, we build our faith. The stories and verses of the Bible bring us to light and strengthen our resolve and our faith. Join a Bible Study or engage in conversations with people about God’s wisdom and you will learn to understand Him, how he works, and how He manifests in your life.
Be Joyful in Your Strength and Passions. Form a vision. Everyone is unique and has special talents. Lean into what you are already good at, and opportunities may just open up. If you envision a life that involves what you love and work toward it, doors begin to open, things fall into place. God gives us all special gifts and your life’s purpose and future might just have something to do with that which drives you and excites you.
Find Your Path With the Help of Fellow Believers
Bringing people into your life that are in a similar search can be a great asset. Here at Faith Miracle, we dive into God’s Word to better understand God in all of our lives, as individuals and as a community.
Are you ready to find a community that loves God and works to better live in faith? Call us here at Faith Miracle Sanctuary or stop by a Sunday service to see what we’re all about.