Can I trust God to answer prayer and direct my future?

A student desired to learn skills in architecture, but he was unsure if pursuing this skill was God’s will for him. Here he recounts how he is learning that finding God’s will for his life requires trust in taking one step at a time:

“One day I found a book that appeared to be perfect for what I needed to learn about architecture. The only drawback was that I didn’t have enough money to buy it. That night, I prayed that the Lord would provide a way for me to purchase the book if it was truly His will for me to have it.

“Earlier in the week, my grandpa had asked if I could mow his lawn. I had agreed to do it for free. Though it was tempting to charge for it now, I believed the Lord could provide for the book in some other way.

“The next day I went to mow my grandparents’ yard. As I worked, I wondered how in the world I was going to come up with the money for the book. Then something amazing happened. I was finishing up the very last part of the lawn when a neighbor who had been watching me mow approached me and asked if I would like to mow his lawn for the summer!

“It turned out that this man lived just a few houses down from my grandparents’ house. He paid me for mowing his lawn, and it turned out to be plenty of money for the book. I am amazed at how the Lord answers prayers and how He will direct my path, one step at a time.”

“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

—Jonathan Staddon, age 16