Day 29 — Hearing God

“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.”

— Psalm 32:8 (BSB)

What subjects should I choose? Should I take this job? Should I go out with this person? Where should I study, or should I study at all? Should I move to the city with my cousin?

Big decisions start arriving in your teenage years, and they can feel terrifying. Many Christians wish God would just send a text: Do this. Instead, it can seem like He’s silent, and you’re left guessing.

But look at this promise. “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go.” God isn’t hiding His will to test you. He wants to guide you more than you want to be guided. The verse goes on: “I will give you counsel and watch over you.” The picture is a teacher or coach who keeps an eye on you as you walk.

So how does God guide? Usually not by a voice from the sky, though He is free to speak however He likes. Most often He uses several things together.

His Word. This is the clearest way God speaks. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). God will never lead you to do something His Word calls wrong. If you’re asking “Should I lie about this?” you already have your answer. Many of your big questions are settled by things the Bible makes plain: honesty, kindness, purity, serving others.

Prayer and the Spirit’s quiet nudges. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). As you pray and read, you may sense a growing peace about one direction, or a lack of peace about another. Be careful here. Feelings can be mistaken, so test them against Scripture.

Wise people. Parents, pastors, teachers and mature Christian friends can see what you can’t. Ask them.

Circumstances. God opens and closes doors. Paul once tried to go somewhere, and “the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them” (Acts 16:7). A door that slams shut can be God’s guidance too.

A pastor called F. B. Meyer said that when God’s Word, the inner prompting of His Spirit and our circumstances line up, we can move forward with confidence. And when they don’t yet agree? His advice was simple: “If you do not know what you ought to do, stand still until you do.”

Two more things. First, God is more interested in who you are becoming than in which school you choose. Often there are several good options, and any of them can honour Him. Second, the starting point is surrender. It’s hard to hear God’s direction when you’ve already decided. Pray honestly, “Lord, I want what You want,” and mean it. “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

Think about it: What decision is on your mind right now? Have you honestly asked God, and what has His Word already made clear about it?

Try this: Write down a decision you’re facing. Under it, write what Scripture says, what wise people have told you, what circumstances suggest, and what you sense in prayer. Then ask someone you trust to look at it with you.

Go deeper: The Secret of Guidance by F. B. Meyer — a short, wise guide to knowing God’s will: pure motives, a surrendered will, prayer, and waiting until God’s Word, His Spirit and your circumstances agree. Start with chapter 1, “The Secret of Guidance.”

Father, thank You for promising to teach me the way I should go. I bring You my decisions, big and small. Make Your Word clear to me, give me wise people to listen to, and help me trust You when the way isn’t clear yet. I want what You want. In Jesus’ name, Amen.