Question: I am trying to make a career decision right now. How can I know what path God wants me to take? I have read The Purpose Driven Life and am trying to follow God’s plan for me, but I have no idea which way to go. I have read the Bible, prayed, meditated, and listened, but I don’t seem to be getting a clear message from Him. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Answer: Knowing which way God wants you to go can sometimes be a challenging experience. And we will be the first ones to tell you that what you’re experiencing is pretty normal. It isn’t that God deliberately tries to keep His will from us. As you know firsthand, He has given us plenty of tools to help us make decisions – His Word, prayer, books, the “still small voice of the Holy Spirit.”  Still, we don’t always know for sure what to do next, and sometimes we don’t have any idea!

Here are a couple of additional suggestions. You’ve probably already done this, but it’s always helpful to get the counsel of wise and godly people. Sometimes you’re so close to your own situation that you can’t see yourself objectively. That’s why you need other people, especially people who know you, to give you their ideas. That’s not to say that you have to do what others say, but definitely factor their perspective into your decisions. God will use the advice of others who are tuned into Him to guide you in your decision.

The other thing is that you may be worrying too much about failure. Sometimes the fear of failure can paralyze us, causing us to stand still when we should be moving forward. Remember, there’s something worse than failure, and that’s not trying at all. Now, we’re not suggesting that you go out with the mindset that you’re going to fail. You need to trust God in your decisions and believe that He always has your best interest in mind, and sometimes His best interest includes hard life lessons that come from failure.

You are doing the right things. Trust God to do His part.