“Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths in your law” (Psalm 119:18 GNT).

The Bible is filled with countless examples of people getting God’s vision, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, Jonah, and Micah. Seeing God’s vision for your life is not a crazy thing. God often uses a mental picture to clarify the next step he wants you to take.

I don’t have to explain this to people who are visual thinkers. Maybe that’s you: When you read a story in the Bible, you can see that story in vivid Technicolor. When you read a book, you’re picturing the story in your mind the whole time.

But for the rest of us, it’s a little harder. I am not a visual thinker. I tend to think in words, not pictures.

So how do you get God’s vision if you’re not a visual thinker?

First, ask God a specific question.

In your quiet time, after you’ve read the Bible and prayed, just be quiet and wait before God. You could ask, “God, is there anything you want to say to me?” And then you wait. “God, is there anything I need to know that I’m not thinking about?” And then you wait.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking” (CEV). God wants you to ask him for advice, and he wants you to be specific. He’s waiting for you to ask!

Second, look into God’s Word to see what God might want to say to you.

Psalm 119:18 is a verse you should memorize: “Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths in your law” (GNT). It’s a good verse to pray as you open up God’s Word. Every answer to every problem you have is in that book. But you’ve got to read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it as you seek God’s vision for your life or even just for today.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

• Why do you think it’s so hard to be still and wait on God and his answers?
• What is keeping you from being still before God so that you can ask him questions and dig into his Word?
• What vision has God given you? What do you think you’re supposed to do about it?

“Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (Matthew 6:6 The Message).

God isn’t going to speak to you if your life is filled with a bunch of noise. You’ve got to get alone, and you’ve got to get quiet. We call this a quiet time.

Jesus says it like this in Matthew 6:6: “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (The Message).

Here’s the key to hearing God speak and getting his vision for your life: God wants to meet with you.

You need to realize you’re not waiting on God; he’s waiting on you. God made you to have a relationship with him. He wants you to spend time with him on a daily basis. He wants you to schedule a date with him every day. God is waiting.

Getting alone in a quiet place is pretty difficult today. I don’t know if you realize how much noise there is in your life. You’ve always got the radio on in the car or you’ve got earbuds in or Bluetooth turned on. Every waiting room, grocery store, and elevator has music. There’s very little time or space in your life that’s absolutely quiet.

If you’ve got kids at home, it’s even more difficult! But let me give you some hope. Susanna Wesley, one of the great women of history, had 18 children. One of her sons, John, founded the Methodist church and helped spread Christianity across America, and another, Charles, wrote more than 6,000 hymns.

How do you find time alone when you have 18 children? In her biography, it says that Susanna Wesley would sit in her favorite rocker every afternoon, and she would throw her apron over her head for an hour. Her kids knew that Mom with apron over her head meant, “No child bothers Mom or you face the consequences!”

Wesley said it was the prayers of his mom that shaped his life. You can find time alone if you are that desperate. Make time to be quiet and meet with the Lord.

“You will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him” (Deuteronomy 4:29 NLT).

You’re not going to hear God unless you really, really want it. I’m not saying it’s an option. I’m not saying it would be nice. It is a necessity!

God doesn’t tell his dream for your life if you want to debate it. God doesn’t tell his vision for your life if you want to discuss it. God doesn’t tell you what he put you on Earth to do just so you can say, “Let me think about it.”

No! It’s got to be a necessity. You have to say, “I’ve got to know why I’m here. I’ve got to know what you want me to do with my life. I’ve got to hear your voice. I’ve got to have your vision.”

King David wrote in the book of Psalms, “My God, I want to do what you want” (Psalm 40:8 NCV) and “What I want most of all and at all times is to honor your laws” (Psalm 119:20 CEV).

David was passionate in his declaration that what he wanted most of all was to honor God. Being obedient and following God were not options for him. It was the only thing David wanted to do. He used phrases for seeking God like, “I long for it,” “I crave it,” “I hunger for it,” and “I’m like a deer panting for water.”

When you get that desperate, you’re going to hear from God.

A lot of people talk to God but never hear from God. For them, prayer is a monologue. But you can’t have a relationship through a monologue. What if I had married my wife and talked to her, but she never talked to me? That’s not a relationship. You’ve got to have a conversation. Just as important as talking to God in prayer is listening to God and letting him talk to you. How does that happen? First, you’ve got to want it more than anything else.

Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “You will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him” (NLT). It’s guaranteed!

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

• What thing do you want most in life? How does your life reflect that longing?
• How can you cultivate passion — or greater passion — for God in your life?
• With what attitude do you usually approach God when you’re asking for direction? Are you prepared to respond in obedience?