When to Not Ask God What to Do

Do you know anyone who worked for a singular company / business / job from young adulthood through to retirement? I can think of one, maybe two people. Longevity in one’s career is rare. And at the junctures in one’s work life, whether one is just setting out from high school or college, or a person is a seasoned employee or business leader, Christian job seekers often have one thing in common: their prayers that God would guide them into the right field, right company, right position. After all, we spend a huge chunk of our lives at our work, and we want to know that the place we work is within God’s will for our lives. So we’ll pray for guidance, direction, a sign…something…just looking for some kind of proof that we’re stepping into “God’s plan for us.”

But what if those prayers where we seek specific direction in our careers are the wrong prayers to pray?

Right now, it’s the month of May. And thinking through career choices is extra-hot on the minds of high school and college grads right now. But sometimes, well-intentioned teachers, parents, and other influences put unnecessary pressure on kids their whole life to “know what they’re gonna be” when they grow up. As a 15-year youth ministry veteran, I believe there are two big errors in constantly asking kids “what they’re gonna be” when they grow up.

First, asking kids what they’re gonna be when they grow up communicates that kids are in a season of waiting, emphasizing what they can’t do, rather than empowering them to pursue what only they can do. For instance, a Christian 14-year-old has access to a mission field seven hours a day, Monday through Friday, that I’ll never have access to. But if we communicate that our teenagers are waiting until they graduate before they can do meaningful things, we’ll inadvertently teach them that ministry is for adults and pastors—that they don’t have a part to play.

Secondly, as a practical matter, it’s perfectly normal for kids—high school graduates, even—to not have a good sense of direction regarding a career simply because they’ve been sitting in a classroom for 12 years learning reading, writing, math, history and science almost exclusively. In short, they often don’t know what’s out there for them to pursue.

So, Christian kids often arrive at critical life transitions asking God for specific direction, as a result. But God rarely gives anybody a thirty-year plan, complete with clear directions on a career to choose, who to marry, and how many kids to have. Why do we seem to think He owes us a detailed Taylor-made life blueprint specific to each one of us? Even after many of us become adults, we still pray for God to help us know the 10, 20, or 30-year plan. But He usually just tells us what to do a day at a time.

Rather than asking God for big answers to big decisions in life, the Biblical example shows us two things: first we should focus on doing what God has already told us to do in his Word and second, we need to strive to take the next clear step He shows us, one day at a time.

Consider when God came to Abraham in Genesis 12. God said for Abraham to leave his country and go somewhere He’d show him, offering no specifics. How about when God told Moses to go speak to Pharoah? God didn’t give him a play-by-play of plagues with a timeline of how long he should expect to spend getting Israel evicted from Egypt, let alone did He tell Moses to get ready for years wandering in the desert. In the New Testament, Jesus simply told the apostles to follow Him…go look at the invitation he extended to Matthew. How about Paul? Jesus shows up and says, “stop persecuting me, and go to the city” where Ananias was there waiting for him. In each of these examples (and there are loads more), God showed-up unexpectedly and said what to do with today.

Don’t overemphasize knowing the big picture. Focus on obeying with your today.

In Luke 6:46, Jesus asks a pretty important question when it comes to knowing His direction for our lives:

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

Jesus’ concern here?

Doing what He’s already said to do. In other words, before asking God for specific direction, we should examine if we’re doing things He’s already said to do. After all, if He can’t trust us to do things already spelled-out for us clearly throughout scripture, why would He give us the details of the 30-year plan for our lives? It would be information that we don’t really need that would distract us from trusting Him with today.

So, what do we do?

First, get serious about obeying the things He’s already said to do. Maybe you should take a self-assessment:

• How hard to you fight sin? Do you have verses memorized to combat sin the way Jesus did, or are you quick to give in to temptation?
• In Matthew 20:28, Jesus says He came to serve…are you a servant of others? Or do you expect others to serve you?
• Maybe you could do a better job of putting Matthew 10:32 into practice and demonstrate willingness to acknowledge your relationship with Jesus in front of others.
• If you’re a parent, how hard to you work to point your kids to God in every aspect of life? Go read Deuteronomy 6. We’ve got some pretty clear instructions.

As you examine where you are with doing what He’s already said to do, it’s also worth considering that there are certain things He’s gifted you with for a reason. What are your gifts? After thinking about your gifts, consider the things you care about that you could contribute towards with your giftedness. Then, ask how can bring your faith—your “right now” circumstances into those places?

We think of “knowing God’s will for our lives” as God giving us some kind of “spiritual playbook” we can look at to know the big picture for our lives all the way from birth to retirement, or the grave or something. But He’s already given us a playbook—it’s called the Bible. And He expects us to use it on the daily so that when we look back over our lives, we see a grand narrative of how He orchestrated every step along the way.

One. Step. At. A. Time.

Trust God with today, and let today be enough.