In our relentless search for direction from God, we often ask him the most obvious question: “Lord, what do you want me to do?” It isn’t a bad question—following his will almost always implies some sort of action. But we aren’t just servants who do his bidding; we’re friends who partner with him in his mission (John 15:15). There’s a better question we should ask first.
If we really want our relationship with him to be a relationship—a heart-to-heart conversation—we need to have a deeper interest in him personally. The better question is: “Lord, what’s on your heart in this situation?” That’s much more relational than simply finding out information, and it draws us deeper into his purposes. He shares his heart with those who ask him.
The beauty of this question is that when God gives us his heart, we often don’t even need to ask him what to do. We already know. He moves us from within, and we live from that divine motivation. Our direction becomes much more clear.