How to Pray for Guidance and Receive Answers

To receive direct guidance from God regarding the course you should pursue, you must come to Him in faith, deciding ahead of time to do nothing that would displease HimLYL 39.1+1. When you present your case before the Lord with a heart fully surrendered and an eye single to His glory, He promises to speak His mysteries to you personally and impart both the wisdom and the strength necessary for obedienceDA 668.4+1.

Here are the key principles for obtaining answers and knowing the way forward:

• Individual Responsibility: You are not to place the responsibility of your duty upon others or wait for human counsel, but rather go directly to God, who is just as willing to teach you as He is anyone elseLYL 39.1+1.

• The Condition of Faith: It is essential to ask in faith without wavering, for those who doubt or move by impulse based on feeling will not receive the clear direction they seek James 1:5-81888 836.2+1.

• Wrestling in Prayer: Real success comes to those who take time to think, pray, and wait upon God for a renewal of spiritual power before actingEd 260.4+1.

• Total Submission: Those who have decided to do nothing in any line that will displease God will receive an answer regarding the correct course to pursue, even if it does not accord with their natural inclinationsEv 688.2+1.

• Daily Connection: We are to follow Christ day by day, seeking wisdom for the present emergency rather than being anxious for the morrow Matthew 6:34DA 313.4.

• Practical Obedience: Whatever you ask of Him, you will receive because you keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight 1 John 3:22DA 668.4.

...l teach somebody else. If we come to Him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally.... Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will displease God, will know, after presenting their case before Him, just what course to pursue. And they will receive not only wisdom, but strength.—The Desire of Ages, 668 (1898)— Ev 688.2 (1946)

...el upon humanity. The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach somebody else. If we come to him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Our hearts will often burn within us as One draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch. Th...— LYL 39.1 (1983)

...y upon others, and wait for them to tell us what to do. We cannot depend for counsel upon humanity. The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach somebody else. If we come to Him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Our hearts will often bu...— DA 668.4 (1898)

...ill receive the repenting sinner to his favor and his heart, to partake of the riches of his grace. He may ask what he will, and it will be done unto him. Those who have decided to do nothing in any line that will displease God, will know, after they pr...— RH October 27, 1896, par. 10 (1851)

To know God’s will, you must maintain a spirit of complete surrender, search the Scriptures diligently, and approach Him in faith with a heart willing to obey whatever He revealsEv 688.2+2. Knowing God is a progressive experience where He leads you step by step through His Word and His providence as you put into practice the light you already possess2MR 85.1+1.

Essential Steps to Discerning God's Will

To clearly understand the path He has for you, consider these vital principles:

• Wholehearted Surrender: You must decide that you will do nothing in any line that will displease God; once you present your case before Him with this mindset, you will know the course to pursueLYL 39.1+2. This involves a daily consecration and a willingness to deny your own inclinations to follow in Christ's footsteps Luke 9:235BC 1090.8+1.

• Study the Holy Scriptures: The Bible is the primary way God reveals His will, and it acts as its own expositor to unlock hidden meanings 2 Timothy 3:16-17CE 85.1+1. By being instructed out of the law, you gain a practical knowledge of His will, as the law is a transcript of His character and requirements Romans 2:17-18ARSH November 22, 1853, page 153.7+1.

• Personal Communion and Prayer: You cannot depend on other people for counsel; instead, you must go to God in faith, and He will speak His mysteries to you personally6MR 381.3+2. Just as Christ strengthened His humanity through prayer to know His Father's will, you must have daily communion to receive power for service and noble aspirationsLYL 39.1+1.

• Observe Divine Providence: God's providence is a school where He leads us to the true aims of life and often places us in difficult positions to test our faith and teach us where to look for strength4T 116.3+2. He often uses simple means and works in ways contrary to human planning to fulfill His purposesTM 299.2+1.

• Obedience to Revealed Truth: God will not give more light until you have cherished and made practical use of the light you already have4T 444.1+1. We receive what we ask of Him because we keep His commandments and do things that are pleasing in His sight 1 John 3:22DA 668.4.

• Heed the Holy Spirit's Guidance: The Spirit of God is given to provide efficiency and power for service, and He works within us to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of ChristPH120 16.1+1. If you walk humbly and are distrustful of your own wisdom, the Spirit will help you recognize God's keeping care and the standard He lifts against the enemyCT 323.2+1.

The Result of Knowing His Will

When you truly know God and His will, you will experience a transformation of character and a deep, sweet rest in the yoke of Christ1888 1188.1+1. You will no longer be moved by hearsay or narrow human ideas but will discern God's work at every point, being filled with high and holy purposesCT 323.2+1. This knowledge is of such value that it reaches into the future immortal life, where we shall see Him face to face John 14:3FE 376.1+1.