Psalms32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
In my discussion with a colleague sometime ago, the issue of marriage popped up. She insinuated that as believers, singles don't need to ask for God's direction or His will about the choice of whom to marry and that all they need to do is to present what they like to God and seek His approval. While that sounds rational, it is almost impossible to have a neutral mind that is open to God's direction under such arrangement. Most times, when the mind is made up and a choice is presented to God, it is either we hear the voice of our mind telling us to go ahead or God may permit us to have our own way instead of his perfect will. Are there scriptural examples for this kind of scenario? Yes, there are.
In 1Samuel 8, the children of Israel rejected the theocratic leadership of Samuel. They demanded for a King like other heathen nations. After they troubled Samuel for a change in their system of government, God said to Samuel, “Do everything they say to you,” the LORD replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer."(ISam8:7). You can see that God assented to their request not because it was his perfect will but because he saw their hearts and he knew they had made up their minds on what they wanted. Another scripture that comes to mind is Ezekiel 14. Some leaders of Israel came to prophet Ezekiel to inquire from the Lord. God saw their hearts and he said: "Tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the LORD, will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves."(vs4).
One of the major reasons why many believers don't hear from God is because they have set up idols in their hearts. They have decided how they want what they want, they're just seeking God for endorsements. If you're rigid about your plans, He will allow you have your way like he did to the Israelites, but there's a limit to how far he can bless it. That doesn't mean we should not have plans or desires but the import of this teaching is that we should not be rigid about our plans. God can interrupt our plans if they do not align with His. God is not a fool. He knows what is good for you. When we seek His endorsement for our plans, that means we don't trust His judgment. Proverbs3: 5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Let your mind be clear and be free from the rigidity of your own aways. That's how to hear God.
Father, I receive the grace to totally trust you for direction in Jesus name.