Do You Long to Know God’s Will?
If you’re reading this, chances are your heart longs to live out God’s will for your life. You genuinely desire to follow Him, to glorify Him, and to walk in step with the purpose He’s designed just for you. But if we’re honest, many of us have wrestled with the question: How do I know what His will is? The noise of life, the pace of our schedules, and even the pressure to “get it right” can cloud our ability to hear clearly.
Why Prayer, Pause, and Praise Matter
The hope of this blog is to help us lean into a deeper, more powerful prayer life—one that keeps us in a continual posture of connection with God. He is relational. He is speaking. And He wants us to hear Him, know His plan, and walk confidently in it.
At the core of every believer is a longing—not just to believe in God, but to truly know Him. To experience His presence, hear His voice, and walk closely with Him each day. That’s what it means to live life on purpose for His glory: not just doing things for God, but doing life with God.
And yet, in our fast-paced world, prayer can become a checklist, and praise can turn into performance. We may find ourselves doing all the talking and none of the listening.
But God is calling us deeper.
He desires relationship, not ritual. And like any healthy relationship, it’s a two-way street.
That’s where the 3 P’s come in:
Prayer: Talk to God and Stay Close
Prayer is more than a routine; it’s how we stay connected to the heart of the Father.
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
In prayer, we bring our worries, needs, and dreams before Him—but more than that, we open our hearts to His comfort and direction. It’s not about polished words or perfect posture. It’s about relationship—raw, real, and reverent.
Prayer is more than declarations or requests; it involves a humble heart coming before the Lord and pausing to listen to what He has to say. When we pray, declare His Word, and bring our needs to Him—but then turn and go about our day—we miss the richest part of prayer: hearing His voice.
When we get still and quiet our soul, He begins to speak. It may come as comfort, confirmation, direction, wisdom, or encouragement.
Prayer is not about getting God to do something for us—it’s about knowing Him. It’s about trusting Him even when we don’t understand everything.
And that brings us to the second P: Pause.
Pause: Listen and Make Space for His Voice
Once we’ve poured out our hearts in prayer, what if we simply… paused?
“After the fire came a gentle whisper.”
— 1 Kings 19:12
God speaks, but we often miss His voice in the noise of life. The pause creates space for stillness, for reflection, for hearing that gentle whisper.
In the pause, we don’t perform—we become present.
We wait.
We listen.
We let Him speak to the places in us that need His truth, His peace, and His guidance.
How often do we stop and ask, “Lord, what do You want to say to me?”
If you, like me, sometimes find it hard to really listen instead of just hearing words, I highly recommend this encouraging read about learning to listen well — it’s full of practical wisdom and Scripture.
If you’re struggling to discern whether you’re truly hearing from God, I want to challenge you: start journaling. Spend part of your pause time with a journal and pen in hand. Ask, “Lord, what do You want to speak to me today?” Then just begin to write what rises within your spirit.
Go back and reread it. Does it line up with His Word? Move forward. Need more confirmation? Take it to a trusted, godly friend, leader, or mentor.
Try This: Pause and Reflect
Let me kick things off with a little challenge. No cheating!
You probably know Philippians 4:6–7 by heart—the one that tells us not to be anxious but to pray about everything. But do you know what comes right before it?
Go check out verse 5 (and even verse 4). What connections do you see?
For me, it’s this:
Prayer is rooted in relationship and trust.
Before Paul tells us to bring every care and request before God, he reminds us of something vital:
The Lord is near.
One translation says, “The Lord is at hand.”
Let that sink in.
Do we really believe that?
That God is close… attentive… listening… that He actually cares?
Because if we do—then of course we’ll bring Him every anxiety, every detail.
We won’t just talk to Him because we’re told to…
We’ll talk to Him because we trust Him. Because we want to.
Reflect on these translations:
Amplified Bible (AMP):
Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.
And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
The Passion Translation (TPT):
Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow!
Let gentleness be seen in every relationship, for our Lord is ever near.
Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing.
Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.
Tell Him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.
💭 And don’t stop there—Paul goes on to tell us what to dwell on.
(Spoiler alert: that list doesn’t include our worries.)
Go back and read verse 8.
Reflection:
- What shifts in your heart when you remember that the Lord is near?
- How can the pause help you become more aware of His presence?
- What might change if your prayer life was less about performing and more about trusting?
We’ve prayed.
We’ve paused.
Now let’s move into the third P: Praise.
Praise – Responding to God with a Grateful Heart
Praise is the heartbeat of a thankful soul.
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise…”
— Psalm 100:4“God inhabits the praises of His people.”
— Psalm 22:3
Praise lifts our eyes from our problems to our Provider.
It shifts our focus from fear to faith.
And it’s not just for Sunday mornings—praise is a daily practice.
Even before the breakthrough, we praise.
Even in the unknown, we praise.
Because our praise isn’t based on our circumstances—it’s based on who He is.
How to Live Out the 3 P’s Daily
What if your daily rhythm included all three?
- Prayer – Talk to God from the heart.
- Pause – Make room to hear Him.
- Praise – Lift His name with gratitude and faith.
Try this:
Set aside 15 intentional minutes.
🕒 5 minutes to pray
🕒 5 minutes to pause and listen
🕒 5 minutes to praise
You don’t need to perform. You just need to show up—with a heart that longs to know Him more.
Remember: He Wants Presence, Not Perfection
God doesn’t need our perfection—He desires our presence.
He’s not looking for performance—He’s longing for intimacy.
Let’s be people who pray, who pause, and who praise—not out of obligation, but out of love.
That’s what it means to live life on purpose…
for His glory.