Have you ever said to God, “May I please have a sign?”

We want the small plane to fly overhead towing a banner that says, “Move to Boston” or “Buy the Ford F150.” Wouldn’t that be nice? Or we imagine opening our Bibles to a random page, putting our finger on a verse, and seeing, “Buy a vineyard.” Surprising, but I’m on it!

God doesn’t usually work that way. Like, not even 1% of the time. But, He sometimes uses circumstances to steer us. You’ve been wondering if you should have a conversation with a specific person, when they end up sitting at the table next to you in a coffee shop. That’s likely God saying, “Yes, you should.”

With bigger decisions, it’s wise to look for several confirmations or pointers before making the final choice. A buyer makes a solid offer on your house at the first Open House and then your dream house opens up at a price you can afford, but it’s out of town. Hmm. You’re not sure whether or not you should move farther away. Then you get a job offer with a nice raise down the street from the dream house. It’s looking like you’re supposed to move.

You have four full-ride scholarships to colleges you would like to attend. Which one should you choose? Aunt Jane calls to tell you her garage apartment just lost its renter and she would be happy for you live there free of charge … two blocks from one of the schools. That same school calls to tell you you’ve been selected to be in the Freshman Leadership Academy, a huge honor! While you’re asking God if that is indeed the school for you, your best friend calls to tell you they were accepted at that school. Shiny University, here we come!

That’s kind of how it works. However, circumstances need to be filtered through the previous steps to discovering God’s will: as you read the Bible every day, as you ask God for guidance, and as you listen to the wise counsel of others, circumstances that line up with all of those things would be the final confirmation that you’re headed in the right direction.

It’s wise to remember that our enemy can manipulate circumstances, which is why we don’t rely on them alone. Paul mentions this concept several times. Here are a couple of examples:

“For we wanted to come to you … but Satan hindered us” (1 Thessalonians 2:18, NKJV).

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11, NIV).

God wants you to know Him and His plan for you. He really does! He is FOR you!

As you apply these steps of discovering His will to your life, you will discover even more. God is so vast and so generous and so loving that He will always do more than you can ask or imagine, even when you’re just looking for one answer. Hold onto your hat! The winds of God’s goodness are bringing delightful surprises along the way.