From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

God desires first that we submit our lives to Him and receive the salvation He offers. When we become His obedient children, He wants us to walk with Him every mile of our life’s journey. He equips us so that we can carry out His plan for our lives. While we won’t see the big picture at the beginning of our journey, we will learn each step of the way that He cares.

But God does not expect us to be paralyzed when it comes to making decisions about our futures. Neither does He give us what we always want because it may not be for our good or according to His will. The Bible says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3, ESV). We must never ask for our will to be done, but for God’s will to be done (Matthew 6:10). He reveals His wisdom to us through the reading of His word and through prayer.

God also puts His desires down in our hearts and in our minds. If a person excels in mathematics or biology, there is nothing wrong with going into finance or medicine, for instance. When a person begins pursuing such a pathway, the Lord will open and shut doors as a way of guiding.

Some people pray they will pass a test, but they fail to pray about their choice of college or their career or their future spouse. On the other hand, others pray only when they face a crisis. The Bible tells us to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6). God loves us and is concerned about every detail of our lives, both big and small.

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

Have you given your heart to Christ? Pray now.