God's purpose...

[XtattiK]

Ok, so it's late/early again (depending on which side you approach from) so my brain is having its thoughtful part of the day's cycle. Will probably be poorly phrased...but here we go anyway...

How do you know what God's purpose is for your life? Both immediately and down the track (say 2 months, or ten years or whatever). Are you in the spot God has chosen for you at this instant? By this i'm talking about your current situation, not necessarily this very second. Is the job/path of study/etc that you're currently in where you are meant to be? How did you know that, or did you just sort of fall into it?

Does anyone know what God wants them to be doing a year from now? ten years? Should we strive to know (Do not worry about tomorrow...etc)?

How do you know when to move on? Is it something someone says? That you read? That you feel?
Do "doors" start closing (and opening elsewhere)? Do you get a blazing vision in bright light or a majestic voice from the heavens (ok, it's unlikely, but it would be pretty clear instructions at least)?

I guess i ask because I feel as though i'm getting hints that i should move on from where i am, but don't have any real direction to head just yet. I'm preparing for a change, but i have no idea how subtle or drastic that change will be. The way God normally lets me know either hasn't kicked in yet, or He's not using it this time around. Wondering how others have dealt with similar experiences.

[glennhodges]

Interesting question(s) ... I think God certainly puts each of us in the places we are presently in, for one reason or another. Whether that be for the "long term", or whether we are there just there for the short term in order to learn something, before we move on to where he ultimately intends to use us, is hard to say. In the present moment, i usually have no real feeling of whether this is where i am meant to be for the long term or not. A couple of times in my life, i have been able to look back, say, 5 years in the past, and see that something i learned back then is really helpful right now, and i can see God's timing in having me be in that place, and learn that lesson, long ago.

Now, how do i take that insight and help you answer your question? Well ... i think if God really wants you to be somewhere else, he will make that call loud enough that it will either be very hard to miss it, or you will have to be trying really hard to ignore it! Thus i would suggest that unless you have really heard that call to be somewhere else, maybe God wants you where you are. That is my feeling anyway. Maybe God needs you where you are to learn something, experience something before you go elsewhere. Or maybe he needs you where you are to be a help to someone else around you where you presently are. I really don't know. But i feel sure that God would have "forgotten" about you, and left you where you are by accident! If nothing else, of that i am certain.

You have already referenced the passage below that i wanted to refer to, Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." I figure if God wants you elsewhere, he will make it known to you. And in my case (because i'm a bit thick!) he usually makes it known with less subtlety and more obviousness. It seems to work fine for the both of us.

As long as you are making every effort to seek out his will, i'm sure you will work it out eventually. And in the meantime, i would assume that where you are is where God wants you to be (in the absence of any blazing visions to the contrary!)

Hope that helps (or at least stirs up some other helpful view points).

Glenn.