When we desire to find God's direction we must realize that often we are required to be actively involved in finding the answer. Certainly we are to pray for God to reveal His direction to us. But we should not then switch to passive mode where we expect God to just drop that direction into our minds. On the other hand God will work that way some times so I am not making a hard fast rule. But most times we must be involved.
Here are just a few thing we can do when we pray and the answers don't come easily. After we ask for God's direction we must engage our minds and make effort in coming up with the answer ourselves. As we make our effort God will guide our thinking as it says in Proverbs 16:9
9 The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.
Additionally God can provide guidance by allowing some of your plans to meet with success and other things that you plan to fail. We see some of this in Proverbs 16:1
1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
One practical application to that verse could be job hunting. As you are praying for direction concerning a job you are reading the want adds. Also you start applying to job after job. Then you find that God shuts some of those doors and opens the one He wants to give you. As you prayed and also made your effort, God provided His direction through the answer from the tongue.
In addition to the need for us to use our own minds to arrive at God's direction we may also need to draw ideas from our brothers and sisters in Christ. God has placed various gifts within the body of Christ and obtaining counsel from different Christians with different gifts can help you come to a solution that is well rounded. Read what is said in Proverbs 15:22
22 Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed.
In addition to the need for us to be diligent about making our effort we also need to recognize the limitations of our best efforts. We must also put the matter in God's hands if we expect our efforts to meet with success as we see in Proverbs 16:3
3 Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.
Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)
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