Jesus lived a God-planned life, one outlined hundreds of years before His birth. Always conscious of this fact, He remained sensitive to God’s leading. Christ said:

“I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.... I always do what pleases him.”
—John 8:28, 29.

Just as God planned the human life of Jesus before His birth, even so the heart and mind of God has a plan for every human being. He knows how each of us can fulfill our deepest desires and find an abundant life.

Ray wasn’t always so sure He wanted to submit to God’s plan. He nursed fears in the back of his mind: “If God is really in control of my life maybe I’ll end up in ‘darkest Africa.’”

But when Ray faced a big decision about where to go to college, he decided for the first time in his life to seek divine guidance on the subject. He prayed for several days and tried to listen for some answer. After a while he seemed to get very clear reasons on why he should choose Option B: a less expensive, but huge and impersonal university in Western Illinois. So Ray reluctantly registered. Soon after starting classes he got acquainted with some wonderful Christians who belonged to Campus Crusade for Christ. His experience with them during the next two years radically changed his life.

A few years later Ray faced another big decision: whether to remain in Japan a second year on a teaching assignment or return to the States. He decided to ask for specific guidance again and God impressed Him with some clear reasons why he should stay. At the beginning of this second year Ray received a totally unexpected opportunity to produce evangelistic films. This had always been his big dream, his long-term goal, but now, it seemed, God was making it happen—in the place he’d least expected.

When Ray looks back today, he notes that every time he has faced a major decision and sought divine guidance, God “opened up a whole new area of my life.” Ray writes: “This kind of well-plotted-out existence makes you want to exclaim, ‘Listen Lord, if there’s anything at all on your mind, PLEASE let me know.’”

How can you know God’s plan for your life? God guides in several ways: