7 Keys to Trust God’s Plan for Your Life

How is God calling you? What new dreams is he whispering into your heart? What path is he asking you to follow?

Are you ready to follow God with confidence – or you a bit unsure about taking these next steps? Not sure how to follow where God leads or if walking this narrow path will be worth it?

I’m on this journey too, learning to follow where God leads. I’ve been allowing God to bring new dreams to life and lead me in new directions. But it’s not an easy road.

If you’re ready to step into God’s plan for your life, then you’ll need these 7 keys to learning to trust God’s plan for your life.

The Journey of a Lifetime Begins with a “Yes”

I sat in my son’s room, rocking him to bed as I did every night. As he finished nursing and drifted off to sleep, I began to pray. Mostly I sat in the silence with God and listened, as had become my custom on these nights. Only this night, God broke through loud and clear.

He whispered a new dream into my heart. Words I couldn’t quite comprehend, a new vision I couldn’t quite see clearly.

“But how, God?” I began to ask. “Shhh…. later… will you say yes?” “Of course, yes!”

I’d been reading through the Children’s Bible with my son and the stories of Abraham and Mary’s obedience had particularly caught my attention. How they could say “yes” so readily, without any hesitation, when God called them to such unknown and unclear callings. I was awed at how fast they were in trusting God’s plan for their lives. I’d begun to wish (and pray) for such an opportunity in my life. A call to something special that I could say “yes” to – quickly, without hesitation.

Take a Step, Take a Step

Step by step, God began to reveal the path. Some came quickly, others only after months and years of waiting.

• He took me to the highest mountaintops, experiencing pure unbridled joy.
• He also took me through the deepest valleys, the dark night of the soul, where God felt more distant than ever before.
• He took me through great trials where all I could do was lay prostrate on the floor in prayer.
• And, he took me through moments of great triumph, facing fears I thought I’d never overcome, but only because he showed up when I finally took that step forward.

Through the highs and in the lows, I’ve learned to trust God’s plans for my life.

It hasn’t been an easy road – trusting God never is.

It hasn’t been quick – definitely not on any timeframe I’ve set over the years. The journey hasn’t looked anything like what I thought it would. Yet, God’s plan is always perfect and always right on time.

7 Keys to Trust God’s Plan for Your Life

1) Release control of the plan

The plan is not yours, but God’s.

As I’ve worked through the process of discernment to better understand where God is calling me, I continue to make plans to reach that destination. I’ve set timelines, next steps, milestones. Every time, God reminds me it’s his plan, not mine.

As much as I think I know where God is calling me, I don’t really know the destination or how he intends to take me there. I don’t know his reasoning for the steps in between – what I need to learn, what other pieces he needs to align, what doors aren’t ready yet to be opened.

So, let go of trying to control the plan. Have patience with the process and trust in God’s plans, not your own. 

2) Stop focusing on the destination

The goal isn’t getting to the finish line, but how you develop along the way.

I’ve spent much of the journey focused on the destination. Wishing I’d be there already and out of the current situation.

God has continually reminded me, though, that it’s not about the destination, but the journey with him. Each season, each step is part of the process.

God doesn’t call you to a destination, but to a life of obedience. Along the way, he’ll be molding your heart and soul, developing you into his vision for your life.

3) Don’t worry about the “how”

God’s ways are beyond your timeline and your scope of opportunity, so trust in His ways.

Each time I reached an impossible next step and couldn’t see how I could possibly move to the next phase of this journey, God moved in ways only he can move.

God’s ways are bigger than our ways. He can do the impossible. Let God be in charge of the “how” in your life and know that he’s big enough to clear the path for you when he’s ready.

4) Prepare for a challenging journey ahead

Following where God leads is never easy. Be prepared to walk through mountaintops and valleys alike.

Your journey of obedience will challenge you in every way possible. You will walk through the darkest seasons and triumph on the highest mountains. It will be a journey of ups and downs.

Yet, through it all, God will be by your side. Following God is not an easy path, but it is the best path.

5) Put God first

Following where God leads will require sacrifice.

Saying “yes” to God means saying “no” to other things. Following God means dying to self, giving up your own dreams and ambitions, realigning your priorities and objectives.

Allow God to kill off some dreams while he brings to life new ones. You may be called to sacrifice time, money, friendships, careers, comforts, and more.

You will learn to put God first, with everything else falling in step behind.

6) Trust that God will equip you at the right moment

When God says “step”, trust that he’ll show up to equip you – usually only after you’ve taken the first step.

God doesn’t call you to the comfortable, to what you already know. He calls you to the deep, to something beyond what you can do on your own.

Next steps will feel beyond the possible. You’ll feel out of your element and wondering if you can do it at all. Yet, God will equip you to what he calls you to do. He only asks that you trust him and take the first step.

Trust that when God says “step”, he will equip you at just the right moment.

7) Know that saying “yes” to God will always be worth it.

Following the narrow road is not an easy one, yet it is the one that brings everlasting life. You’ll live a life filled with joy, peace, comfort, gratefulness, confidence, and strength. You’ll be filled with a purpose, a passion, and big, God-sized dreams.

Yes, the road of saying “yes” to God may be difficult and filled with dark and uncertain days, doubts and questions, trials and challenges – but it will all be worth it in the end, when you’re living according to God’s will for your life and bearing fruit for his kingdom.

“Is it time yet, God? When can I step into this dream you’ve planted in my heart?

“Shhh… Trust me…” “Yes, Lord. Wherever you lead, I’ll follow.”

Where Is God Calling You?

Maybe you’ve heard such a clear call. Maybe not… Yet, be sure that God is calling you.

Your call won’t look the same as mine – or the same as your friend, relative, neighbor. God calls us each individually to the role he wants us to fill in his Kingdom.

Most of all, God wants your whole heart and your total surrender to his lead.

Will you follow? Will you trust him with your life? Are you ready to say “yes”?