So many people are afraid to do anything because they might miss
the will of God. They pray and pray and he never seems to answer.

What's going on?

Is finding the will of God like reading a map - make a wrong turn and you can end up in a dead-end? Or is it like a big broad highway with guardrails on it?

I say it's like the latter - there's less of a penalty in life for making well-intentioned mistakes than we realize. We need to ease up on ourselves, take time to pray, and then take action. If your heart is right, there is no wrong. When trying to figure out the will of God, if your heart is right, it's hard to mess up.

Here's the deal: On so many issues in life, God has already expressed his opinion. Sometimes he's given us a clear command as in "love one another," or "Go into all the world and make disciples." And other times he would really prefer that we put ourselves in motion and then allow him to help us course-correct as we go along. The Bible tells us, "Trust he's the one who will keep you on track."  Prov. 3:6

Blog reader Teri Frana is currently testing God's goodness as she moves out in faith, trusting that she's in his will. She packed everything into an RV and left Iowa without a job or anything substantial ahead of her. She wrote this about the experience:

"I'm in the throes of being totally committed to an unknowable future -
waaaay outside the comfort zone as I try to be radically obedient to
God. I thought it would easier, more comfortable, more peaceful - but this
has taken me nose-to-nose with my fear. I'm so close to it, I can see
the pores on it's face.

I was reflecting on the face of fear this morning in prayer and I felt
God saying, 'Your fear will not serve you where I want to take you.' I
realized I would have never seen it if I hadn't committed to an
unknowable future."

You can take bigger risks with God than you may be taking. He's waiting for you to test his goodness. And if you need some kind of a formula, these steps by George Mueller are as good as you'll find:

1. Get your heart right. This is 90% of the task of finding God's will in an issue.

2. Listen to the Spirit and check the Bible.

3. Pay attention to how may be speaking through circumstances.

4. Ask God to show you his will.

5. If your mind is at peace after several petitions, take action.