I’ve spent the last seven weeks of Saturday essays unpacking the nature of God-given vision, and how it often looks more like a burden than a burning bush.

Most of that time was focused on Nehemiah, the cupbearer who became a wall-builder and then a governor. All of this with no clear direction from God. Then this past week, we zoomed out and saw that the same vision that burdened Nehemiah burdened others as well, including a pagan king.

The point of all of this was to help us see our own God-given visions more clearly, particularly when the call is subtle. And just because the burden is big doesn’t mean we don’t have a crucial part to play in it.

Which brings us to today’s Scripture. In this passage, Paul exhorts the church in Rome to be unified. Like so many churches, then and today, the church in Rome was experiencing discord.

Paul’s solution to this discord? Renewed minds. And I want to draw your attention to what Paul says a renewed mind does: it tests.

Testing? You mean it isn’t always obvious what God’s will is for our lives?

No, as most of us could probably testify. Not just in the search for our calling, but in what we should have for lunch!

This is key, because as much as we want every new direction to be confirmed by some undeniable sign, more often than not we have to try some things and see what happens.

We have to mess around and find out.

Not willy-nilly, of course. Wisdom is always the protocol, along with sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit, but seeking after God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) means not only exploration but experimentation as well.

Think about it: most of us won’t stick with the first version of anything. Not our first major, first job, or first crush. It is through experience, trial and error, that we start to figure things out. Because each endeavor, successful or not, teaches us something meaningful.

Nehemiah didn’t have the whole picture of what his burden for Jerusalem would become, so he started with one piece: the wall. And, what do you know, it worked! He then parlayed that success into more exploration and experimentation until he had logged twelve-plus years as governor of Judah.

Just think where your testing could lead you.

So this week, let us get comfortable with testing the will of God for our lives. Again, not wildly or irreverently, but with honest intent. Taking the burden that He’s placed on our hearts and doing something with it, even if it’s just to write an email about a wall.

We’ll be praying for a spirit of curiosity tomorrow in Power Prayer, so if you’re waiting for guidance on what to do next in some area of your life, please join us at 6am ET on YouTube.