I am really enjoying my daily time with God and I do try to talk to Him about everything. Sometimes, I tell Him how joyful and thankful I am. Sometimes, I tell Him all about my anxiety and problems. And other times, I just vent and tell Him that I am frustrated at how long He is taking to answer a prayer. I used to think that I had to always hide my true feelings before God, just being totally respectful and quietly asking for my prayers to be answered. Then, the more I read God’s Word, the more I saw that great men in the Bible like David just told God exactly how they were feeling. And God did not immediately destroy them for their honesty. He understood. I know that He understands me, too, when I am feeling overwhelmed with one health issue after another or when I am disappointed that plans to visit family did not work out. God is a big and loving God who knows us intimately and loves us. So the next time you spend time with God, tell Him everything that’s on your heart…He will listen compassionately and give you peace and comfort in the situation, no matter what it may be.

What does God want you to do with your life?

The only way to know God’s will is by getting to know Him. It’s through drawing near to God that His guidance becomes evident. There isn’t one correct way to do that, but there are steps we can take that will help.

Seek God through Prayer.
Think about a close friend. If you’ve known them for a while, you know what they like and dislike without asking. The closer you are to someone, the more you understand them. The same goes for our relationship with God. Knowing God’s will comes from having honest conversations with Him. That’s why we need to get into the habit of talking to Him regularly, about everything.

Search the Scriptures.
God’s will for your life will never contradict what is written in Scripture. So as you get to know God through prayer, familiarize yourself with His Word. The more you study the Bible, the more your desires will begin to reflect God’s will. And when this happens, you can confidently ask God anything—and He will hear you.

Listen to the Holy Spirit.
Listening for the Holy Spirit often requires silencing the noise around you. When you get rid of distractions and stop fixating on fear, you start to notice God’s peaceful presence in your present circumstances. So as you pray and search the Scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, and allow God to silence any distractions. (And if you want to practice intentionally seeking the Holy Spirit, try the YouVersion Guided Prayer feature.)

Look for confirmation from wise people.
Consider inviting people who are further ahead in their faith journey to be your “wise counsel.” Ask them to seek God’s will for your life with you. This step must be done alongside the previous ones. Seeking wise advice should confirm what you sense God is already telling you to do—it should not take the place of talking directly to God.

You may not always get it right, but the more you try to understand God’s will, the easier it becomes. When your desires align with God’s desires, He can trust you to do what is right. Applying these steps will help you, but discovering God’s will is a lifelong commitment that requires seeking God every day.