We ask God to bless our careers.
We ask Him to bless our relationships.We ask Him to bless our financial decisions, our ambitions, and the future we’re working so hard to build.
But here’s a question we don’t ask nearly as often:
Did we ever stop to ask God if these were the things He wanted us to pursue in the first place?
What if we’ve spent years asking God to bless a direction we chose without ever seeking His guidance?
Are We Following God, or Asking Him to Follow Us?
It’s easy to make plans and then ask God to bless them.
We decide what career to pursue, where to live, how to spend our money, and what goals we want to accomplish. Then we pray, asking God to make everything work out.
But Scripture teaches us a different approach.
Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (ESV)
Notice the order.
We’re called to trust God, acknowledge Him in all our ways, and allow Him to direct our paths.
We’re not supposed to choose our own path and then expect God to make it successful.
That doesn’t mean making plans is wrong. It means our plans should always be surrendered to His will.
When Our Desires Become Our Direction
Sometimes the things we pursue aren’t necessarily sinful.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting a successful career, financial stability, a beautiful home, or a comfortable life.
But even good things can become distractions when they begin directing our lives instead of God.
James warns us about this very attitude.
In James 4:13–15, he describes people confidently making business plans without considering God’s will. He reminds them that they don’t even know what tomorrow will bring.
Instead, James says we ought to say:
“If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:15, ESV)
That’s more than a phrase we occasionally add to our prayers.
It’s an attitude of surrender.
It means recognizing that God’s wisdom is greater than ours, even when His direction doesn’t make sense to us.
What If God’s Plan Looks Different?
Here’s where following Christ can become uncomfortable.
What happens when the direction God is leading us doesn’t match the future we’ve imagined?
What if following Him requires giving up an opportunity we’ve worked years to achieve?
What if obedience means choosing something less profitable, less comfortable, or less impressive in the eyes of the world?
Are we still willing to follow?
Jesus never promised that following Him would lead to worldly success.
In fact, He told His disciples:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24, ESV)
Following Jesus means surrendering more than our sins.
It means surrendering our plans, our ambitions, and even our understanding of what a successful life should look like.
One Question Worth Asking
Perhaps it’s time to examine not only what we’re praying for, but why we’re praying for it.
Are we asking God to guide our decisions before we make them?
Are we genuinely willing to change direction when Scripture reveals that our priorities are wrong?
Or have we already decided what we want and are simply asking God to approve it?
There’s nothing wrong with bringing our desires before God. He invites us to do exactly that.
But we must also be willing to surrender those desires to Him.
So let me leave you with one final question:
Are you building a life around God’s will, or are you asking God to bless the life you’ve already decided to build?
Because there’s a tremendous difference between asking God to be part of our plans and allowing Him to be the One who directs them.