“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Do you ever wish God would just tell you what to do? Whether it’s about a job, a relationship, or a big life change, discerning God’s specific will can feel confusing. Thankfully, George Mueller—one of history’s great men of faith—left us a simple, prayerful and proven method for seeking God’s guidance.

Mueller is one of my Christian heroes, and I strongly recommend his book, Answers to Prayer. Starting in 1836, he established several orphanages in Bristol, England, entirely on faith. His reason was primarily apologetic—to demonstrate to the world that God is alive and answers prayer. Week after week, his journals record the Lord’s timely provisions for the orphanages’ specific needs—needs that Mueller had only told God. Over his lifetime, he started five orphanages and cared for over 10,000 orphans. He also founded dozens of schools and educated more than 120,000 students. And it was all done by faith. His entire life was a practical demonstration that God guides those who trust Him.

Mueller followed six steps to seek God's specific will (from Answers to Prayer, p. 6)

Step 1: Surrender your will—

“I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.”

If you want to know God’s will, be ready to give up your own. If you insist on having your own way, you probably won’t be guided. Don’t ask God for directions if you aren’t willing to follow them.

Step 2: Don’t resort to feelings or impressions—

“Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.”

Don’t make the mistake of confusing your emotional life with your spiritual life. Just because you have strong feelings about something, or had the impression to take on some project, doesn’t mean it comes from God. That feeling may be coming entirely from your natural self—your own thoughts, emotions, or personality, not the Spirit.

Step 3: Seek guidance from both the Holy Spirit and the Bible—

“I seek the Will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.”

Mueller avoided two errors: “Bible Deism,” which is the view that God has no specific will for your life, but leaves you alone with the Bible to make the best decisions you can; and “Spirit-only mysticism,” where you follow feelings and impressions apart from the Bible. For Mueller, God’s specific will could be known by the Spirit working according to the Bible.

Step 4: Pay attention to the circumstances—

“Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s Will in connection with His Word and Spirit.”

If you’re seeking the Lord’s will and have to choose between several possible “doors” (e.g., jobs, schools, ministry opportunities, etc), God will often shut the ones He doesn’t want you to step through. Taking those circumstances into account can help you discern the Lord’s specific will.

Step 5: Pray about it—

“I ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to me aright.”

Soak every decision in prayer. Don’t expect guidance from God if you never ask Him for it. And don’t make the mistake of thinking something is too small or insignificant to bring to the Lord. God cares about your faithfulness in the tiniest areas.

Step 6: Decide in peace—

“Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.”

After following the previous steps, Mueller would make the wisest decision he could—one that gave him peace of mind. He would then pray two or three more times, and if that peace remained, he moved forward in faith.

What decision are you facing right now? Maybe you’ve been paralyzed by uncertainty. Trust in the Lord. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him. Try George Mueller’s six steps. And then—when you have peace—step out in faith.

And if you take a wrong step, don’t worry—your Shepherd knows how to find you. Grace will lead you home. You don’t have to get it all right—just keep trusting the One who holds your future in nail-scarred hands.

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Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.

Read his latest book, The Myth of Tithing and the Joy of Grace Giving by getting it from us or from Amazon.