Early in my ministry, a pastoral change left me without a job. Over the next seven months, I interviewed for several positions. I was very young in my understanding of how God works in our lives. I assumed He would simply open the door to the job He wanted me to have and close all other doors. Unfortunately, that did not happen. The previous pastor, now an evangelist, continued to share my name with pastors he met during his evangelistic meetings.
I received several invitations to explore available jobs. We went to three interviews and were surprised when all three offered us positions. To make our decision even harder, several more invitations arrived while we were still considering the first three. What was God doing? Which job was He trying to tell me to take?
I finally chose one of the offers, but that started me on a journey to understand God’s will. I learned that God’s will is more of a ‘condition’ than a ‘place.’ God cares more about the condition of our hearts than where we are serving him. Of course, he can guide our thinking and open or close doors if there is a specific place he wants us to be. But this is the exception rather than the rule.
God trusts us to apply the promises he gives us in His Word. Proverbs says, “Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment” (4:7). Instead of just telling us what to do, God wants us to trust him and use our wisdom to make decisions.
Consider my situation—rather than telling me which job to take, God allowed me to receive several invitations. What should I do? It was my responsibility to honestly consider all the options I had—what is best for my family’s spiritual growth? How will this affect my career? What does my spouse think about it? Are there strong church opportunities if we move?—and then, supported by prayer, make the “best” decision I could with what I knew.
God trusted me to make the decision. He was silently saying, “I’ll use you wherever you decide to go.” He trusts you, too!