5 Ways to Actively Wait on the Lord When You Don't Know Your Purpose
Doing everything you know to do to uncover your purpose but still no luck? It’s not easy to discover your God-given purpose. (If it were you would know by it now and everyone else would too)! Maybe you’ve read the books, attended the conferences, and listened to the sermons but you still don’t know your unique purpose and what God has designed you to do. Don’t be discouraged. It takes time, a heightened personal and a spiritual awareness, and sometimes external insight to discover the unique why behind your existence.
When I was seeking to know my purpose, it didn’t happen right away. I spent a season fasting and praying about my purpose before the Lord revealed it to me. And although it didn’t take long before God spoke to me, I had to go through a process before He could reveal to me my purpose. I needed to be in a position where my ears and heart were ready to hear from God. However, I didn’t let that stop me from doing what I knew to do. I had to actively wait on the Lord to uncover my purpose.
Not knowing your purpose is not an excuse to keep you from taking action to uncover it. Purpose isn’t found in idleness, it’s found when you actively follow and listen for the Lord. Don’t allow fear or uncertainty to paralyze you in this season of waiting. The best way to gain clarity is to take action. You will gain clarity and confidence as you take your next best steps. This is what actively waiting on the Lord looks like, trusting and moving forward with what He tells you to do next. So how can you practically do this? Here are 5 ways you can actively wait on the Lord as you uncover your purpose.
Continue to pray for clarity and revelation
The first step in uncovering our God-given purpose is to sit at His feet. We encounter problems when we go make plans without Him. Spend time with God and ask Him about His purpose and plans for your life. Humble yourself and fast for clarity. Any time that I need clarity and guidance, I coupled fasting with prayer and received an answer, even if it wasn’t right away. If you seek Him wholeheartedly, He will give you the answer, and as you learn His voice, you’ll know when He speaks.
As you pray, lean into your passion.
Your interests will point to your passions and your passions will point to your purpose. Identify what you are passionate about and start asking yourself why. It was ultimately leaning into my passions of blogging and encouraging women that unearthed my purpose. Are you interested in blogging? Start a blog. Are you interested in a certain topic? Start researching it. Have you always had an interest in non-profits? Get an internship at one so you can learn the ins and outs. When you identify your passions, you will be able to uncover the why behind them, your purpose.
Don’t be afraid of trial and error.
Trial and error is how your passions and purpose are developed. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Find out what you do and don’t like. Sometimes knowing what you don’t want will help you determine the legacy you want to leave and the life you want to live and will ultimately rule out any desires or passions that don’t line up with God’s purpose and plan.
Get feedback
Sometimes discovering your purpose or calling comes from others addressing the gifts and talents in you. We can often be our worse critics, dismissing or misattributing our gifts. God has graced you in areas where others aren’t. Where those gifts, skills, and talents collide are often our purpose. What do others encourage you? How are others’ lives changed by being in relationship with you? Ask a friend, family, member, or mentor. Take personality tests and strength finders that highlight your unique design and ask yourself what does this feedback say about your purpose and what God is calling you to do.
Hire a coach
A great life coach will help you to piece together the themes and they will draw out your experiences, passions, and background to point you toward your purpose. They will help you to personally put together the pieces that you couldn’t put together by yourself. Everyone has a unique purpose, therefore there is not a one-size fits all strategy to determine your calling. That is why I work one-on-one with my clients to create a custom life purpose discovery plan that uncovers their purpose and maps out what God is calling them to do. If you’ve exhausted all efforts to uncovering your purpose and you’re still having no luck, a life coach may be your next best step.
If you’re in a season of waiting to discover your purpose, don’t allow uncertainty and the unknown be the reason you remain stuck. You can rest in the Lord while you actively wait on Him. Do the last thing He told you to do. Go where He’s leading you and lean into what He’s showing you until He reveals to you your next steps. It’s in following His steps that He will uncover His purpose and path for you.
Learn how you can understand God’s purposes for you and the essentials of purpose-driven living in the On-Purpose Life Course. In the four-week On-Purpose Life Course we will dive into the biblical foundation of purpose and you will discover the threads that that are tying your purpose together so you can start uncovering yours. Click the button to learn more and enroll.
