How Do I Discern God's Will?

Seeking His Will With Confidence, Not Fear

By Lynda Hunter Bjorklund

“God spoke to me…” “I felt God direct me…” “God impressed something on my heart…”

When I was editor of Focus on the Family’s Single-Parent Family magazine, I often published articles from writers who used words like these when referring to God’s instructions to them. One day I received a stinging letter from a reader who wrote, “What? Do you all have a 1-800 number to hear directly from God? If you do, please pass it on so I can hear from God too.”

Most of us have felt similar frustrations about not knowing God’s will regarding decisions we face or crises we encounter. We may have felt envious of those who always appear to know what God wants them to do. And maybe we’ve felt disappointed after we’ve asked God’s guidance in a specific area and then not felt that we received it: “Where should I work?” “Whom should I marry?” “When should I make the move?”