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God Told Me: Who to Marry, Where to Work, Which Car to Buy...And I'm Pretty Sure I'm Not Crazy
Does an infinite and all-powerful God really care about the everyday concerns of people? Jim Samra answers with an unequivocal and enthusiastic "Yes!" in this guide to hearing God's direction in everything. From the trivial and mundane to the life-changing, God cares about it all because it concerns his creatures, his creation, and his kingdom.
In this unique book, Samra unpacks biblical passages and shares fascinating and surprising true stories about God's guidance, encouraging readers to keep up a running conversation with their creator, to search for guidance in Scripture, and to pay attention to apparent coincidences. Readers who want to make godly decisions about the big things (where to live, where to go to school, where to work, who to marry) and the seemingly little things (which car to buy, which song to sing in church, who to talk to, what to say) will find a gifted and encouraging guide in Samra.
In this unique book, Samra unpacks biblical passages and shares fascinating and surprising true stories about God's guidance, encouraging readers to keep up a running conversation with their creator, to search for guidance in Scripture, and to pay attention to apparent coincidences. Readers who want to make godly decisions about the big things (where to live, where to go to school, where to work, who to marry) and the seemingly little things (which car to buy, which song to sing in church, who to talk to, what to say) will find a gifted and encouraging guide in Samra.
208 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2012
21 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Jim Samra
8 books3 followerssee: James G. Samra
Jim Samra is a servant of Jesus Christ currently ministering as the senior pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, MI, a job which forces him to depend on God daily. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Dallas Theological Seminary, and the University of Oxford, and is also the author of the book Being Conformed to Christ in Community. Jim and his wife, Lisa, have four very young children and are happy but tired most of the time.
Jim Samra is a servant of Jesus Christ currently ministering as the senior pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, MI, a job which forces him to depend on God daily. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Dallas Theological Seminary, and the University of Oxford, and is also the author of the book Being Conformed to Christ in Community. Jim and his wife, Lisa, have four very young children and are happy but tired most of the time.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 4, 2013
A well written and enjoyable introduction to following God's direction in our life. Samra has clearly done his homework, with examples from the entire Bible, especially narrative books like Samuel, Kings, and his ostensible favorite - Acts. He augments these copious biblical examples with personal and communal stories of seeking God's guidance. Some come from history - like Polycarp's call to become a martyr, or Augustine's famous conversion - but the majority of the anecdotes are culled from the lives of members of his congregation. Taken together with Samra's research on the subject in social science books (not to mention recent theological and exegetical works), this is a rich combination for pointing to our inability to find happiness on our own and to our need for God's leading in our lives.
I especially appreciated his point that God typically calls us to adventures that stretch our faith and make us a little uncomfortable because we have to trust him more. These adventures often look a bit mad in the eyes of a world whose wisdom revolves around safety and security. I also found his distinction between "God's will" and "God's guidance" to be instructive. People often use the former to intimate that there is only one path that God has laid out for our lives, and if we miss it, we may even be sinning against God (e.g., God told me to go to U of Michigan, and I'm at MSU; therefore, since I am disobeying the will of God, I'm sinning). Instead, Samra points out that we should come to God as our guide and good shepherd, the supreme giver of good advice who knows our gifts, desires, and limits better than anyone else.
However, you may have noticed that my review contains no references to Christ so far. Unfortunately, this reflect Samra's writing as well: when he writes about God, it is rarely in a rich Trinitarian sense. When Jesus came up, it seemed to be as an exemplar (i.e., when he prayed all night when choosing the twelve disciples) or a few references to Jesus' death. Jesus did not appear as the one to whom we have been united, the one who has redeemed us in baptism and called us to follow him in a life of sanctification (gathered around the Lord's Table in unity with the church through the Spirit, if I can try to cram in more sacramental and trinitarian language). In the end, I think this led Samra to use Scripture, especially the New Testament, as a sort of new law: rules laid out for the early church are taken as absolute in our context. I'm not suggesting that we throw the imperatives of the NT out the window (by no means!), but I am suggesting that the process of interpretation is a bit more complicated than it appears in the pages of this book (cf. Richard Hays' The Moral Vision of the NT for a magisterial counter-example).
Reading the Bible not as new law but as witness to Christ and our new life in him means seeking God's guidance through the Bible - through prayer, fasting, worship - but also seeking God's guidance for our interpretation of the Bible (e.g., Dietrich Bonhoeffer trying to square "Thou shalt not kill" and the moral imperative to love his neighbor during the Holocaust - he eventually became involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler after months of anguished prayer).
In the end, though, Samra has given us a fine book on this important topic, and - following his logic - I ask you to prayerfully consider reading it!
I especially appreciated his point that God typically calls us to adventures that stretch our faith and make us a little uncomfortable because we have to trust him more. These adventures often look a bit mad in the eyes of a world whose wisdom revolves around safety and security. I also found his distinction between "God's will" and "God's guidance" to be instructive. People often use the former to intimate that there is only one path that God has laid out for our lives, and if we miss it, we may even be sinning against God (e.g., God told me to go to U of Michigan, and I'm at MSU; therefore, since I am disobeying the will of God, I'm sinning). Instead, Samra points out that we should come to God as our guide and good shepherd, the supreme giver of good advice who knows our gifts, desires, and limits better than anyone else.
However, you may have noticed that my review contains no references to Christ so far. Unfortunately, this reflect Samra's writing as well: when he writes about God, it is rarely in a rich Trinitarian sense. When Jesus came up, it seemed to be as an exemplar (i.e., when he prayed all night when choosing the twelve disciples) or a few references to Jesus' death. Jesus did not appear as the one to whom we have been united, the one who has redeemed us in baptism and called us to follow him in a life of sanctification (gathered around the Lord's Table in unity with the church through the Spirit, if I can try to cram in more sacramental and trinitarian language). In the end, I think this led Samra to use Scripture, especially the New Testament, as a sort of new law: rules laid out for the early church are taken as absolute in our context. I'm not suggesting that we throw the imperatives of the NT out the window (by no means!), but I am suggesting that the process of interpretation is a bit more complicated than it appears in the pages of this book (cf. Richard Hays' The Moral Vision of the NT for a magisterial counter-example).
Reading the Bible not as new law but as witness to Christ and our new life in him means seeking God's guidance through the Bible - through prayer, fasting, worship - but also seeking God's guidance for our interpretation of the Bible (e.g., Dietrich Bonhoeffer trying to square "Thou shalt not kill" and the moral imperative to love his neighbor during the Holocaust - he eventually became involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler after months of anguished prayer).
In the end, though, Samra has given us a fine book on this important topic, and - following his logic - I ask you to prayerfully consider reading it!
September 27, 2012
This was really well written and an interesting take on God's guidance. My main issue with the book is that it's very pro-Christian, to the point where the author makes it sound like God doesn't talk to non-Christians. As someone who identifies as Jewish, I found that somewhat off-putting and think it may prevent some from reading the book. That said, I understand that this is because of the author's background. Overall though, definitely well written and pretty approachable. Everything is explained clearly, too, probably due to his teaching and education background. Enjoyable read.
April 29, 2024
I’m giving this a four star rating because I support the genre and the individual, but frankly, this book was awful. To be clear, my thoughts would be far more tame if this book were presented as one perspective on an extremely gray topic. Any Theologian that presents their perspective on an objectively gray issue as an absolute loses a lot of credibility to me. This was the epitome of the funny questions joked about in schools, something to the effect of: “The train is going 30 mph. The train stops in Detroit and picks up 14 pigs and 6 sheep. It stops in Indianapolis for 45 minutes and picks up 3 cows and drops off 3 sheep. What color is the train?” You scratch your head because you question how in the world, given the statements presented, how Samra can arrive at the conclusions he arrives at. “God is all knowing” - yes, he is. “God tells us not to fear” - correct. “God can speak to me through the preached word,” certainly. “God told me what car to drive” - what??? People who follow this logic to this degree I either pity, as they cannot find God’s will with the methods presented and are immobilized by indecision, or I am frustrated by, as they present things as being “from the Lord” that flies in the face of what I know to be true // what exists in the written word.
There is so much to analyze here and so much to say. I think the major issue I have with this book is that it clearly fails to differentiate between the prescription of scripture and the description of scripture, especially as one ascribes meaning to neutral things (at least, the risk therein). Gideon’s fleece is a great example. God does not look favorably on Gideon’s actions of fleece-laying. What the story tells me is that God is patient, loving, and uses “the least of these.” Samra also acknowledges near the end of the book what I would consider to be the cardinal sin of his thinking - it is lying to say “God has spoken” where He has not (pg 169). He justifies this because it is also “deceitful” to not give God credit where he has spoken. Oh boy.
First off, I think lying on the topic of God’s will, or lying on this topic is one of the worst things we can do as humans. It justifies crummy behavior and I have seen it first hand be mistreated.. “God told me I should graduate in psych!” Drops out after the first semester, will likely never return. “God told me my husband isn’t going to make it to Indiana,” husband and wife are now living in Indiana. That is so bad for the Christian faith to speak like this. Samra even falls for these pitfalls a few times in the book by saying “God told me” (ie, the gender of the baby) and he was wrong. I’m sorry, but that absolutely disgusts me. I know your heart is in the right place, but I’m not interested in playing probability games like that. You had a 50/50 shot, with God in your ear (apparently), and you got it wrong? Dude!! How is that not a critical alarm to abort this thinking?
Annoyingly, had you made the right guess (by happenstance and probability, I measure), you would have identified that as “how to discern God’s voice, he moves in mysterious ways…” come on. Now, my perspective clearly runs the risk of not giving credit where credit is due. If God is deeply involved in our day to day, and we fail to acknowledge it, that doesn’t sit well either (note - were I to take stage, I would consider he IS deeply involved, and has given us more than we can ever ask for… and we have hope! We don’t need more than that!). I am not avoiding the reality that my view is problematic in its own way (can we all just acknowledge that we don’t know for sure as a prelude to any book like this), but problematic to a much lesser degree I measure, especially if we acknowledge that we have free choice and God’s blessing can come through that. I did not seek God’s will for my house. I used conventional human wisdom and advise from people in the industry. I prayed, “If this is your will…” we got the house in a tough market. It’s been incredible. I call it an incredible blessing. Was God moving, trying to get me to notice that this house was the one, or did I miss out on a better one? What an awful thought that will incite anyone to intense regret. “You missed God” or “you could have had better.” In my study of human behavior, there is immense risk of people getting buried / paralyzed in such toxic thought. But, unfortunately, it’s a heck of a lot easier and convenient to think in a “God told me” way, especially where it’s difficult to disprove claims… another one of my tangents that I don’t care to unpack right now.
I also want to acknowledge the catch-22 within this thinking. “If you find God’s will, and it is good, praise God for He is good!” But if it’s not good and lowkey sucks, then it is the “best you coulda got” (best available avenue)- can’t remember where he said this exactly but I know he did. Or, as some rather naïve friends (new in their faith… again, the snare here is that this thinking snags the young and vulnerable) have put forth, “God placed me here so I can learn something he wants me to learn.” That’s fine so long as truth is within this mapping - but if we imagine for a moment that “truth,” whatever that is, is not within this picture and elsewhere entirely, believers of this theology will be stuck in a confirmation loop because there is no way to combat or disagree. “God told me to walk around naked downtown,” then “Oops” or “well I guess God wanted me to grow in prison…” whether truth is here or not, you’re stuck in a loop.
This, dangerously, argues for a infinitely thin line one must walk as he / she walks in line with “God’s will for me.” He / she must then always look for “signs” (lol) and bear the maddening weight of “did I miss something, and am I in God’s second best??”
What I can’t stand is Samra’s contention to this being the absolute, then completely dismissing serious concerns about his thinking. Maybe he needs too, his faith is so embedded in “God speaking to me” that the suggestion that God didn’t tell him who to marry would shatter him. Just because the Bible describes something doesn’t mean we need to do something. “Do not kill” is different than “Gideon laid a fleece, so will I.” “Do not lie” is different than “Noah built an ark, so will I.” Come on.
Other things that made me upset that I will not unpack:
- assumes God speaks the same way to everyone
- strong possibility of finding meaning in things where there is no meaning (creating meaning)
- your thoughts / perceptions are NOT infallible
- undersold major issues with that thinking, terrible “God told me”
- Superiority syndrome in faith (example: speaking in tongues in Corinthians 1)
- suggests if you do not hear from God, the problem is you, YOU are doing something wrong
- with due dates, encourages you to wait indefinitely until you hear decisively from God (oh, your class deadline was last week and you’ve not heard from God? Maybe you’ll get in classes next time).
- undersells conventional human wisdom guided by the Biblical morality
- Encourages use of “God told me”
- unclear distinction on the role of free will in God’s will
- People justifying their own thoughts and feelings with God told me… convenient how “God told you” something that was perfectly in line with what you wanted to do anyway.
- “God shuts doors!!” … or, was he testing your determination?
- Perception is reality. God supersedes reality.
Last thing… if you need to defend your sanity in the title of a book, that’s probably a good sign you need to reconsider reality. I say and think this and much more and with love. Always easy to be a critic, though. I just hope people know it doesn’t need to be this way.
There is so much to analyze here and so much to say. I think the major issue I have with this book is that it clearly fails to differentiate between the prescription of scripture and the description of scripture, especially as one ascribes meaning to neutral things (at least, the risk therein). Gideon’s fleece is a great example. God does not look favorably on Gideon’s actions of fleece-laying. What the story tells me is that God is patient, loving, and uses “the least of these.” Samra also acknowledges near the end of the book what I would consider to be the cardinal sin of his thinking - it is lying to say “God has spoken” where He has not (pg 169). He justifies this because it is also “deceitful” to not give God credit where he has spoken. Oh boy.
First off, I think lying on the topic of God’s will, or lying on this topic is one of the worst things we can do as humans. It justifies crummy behavior and I have seen it first hand be mistreated.. “God told me I should graduate in psych!” Drops out after the first semester, will likely never return. “God told me my husband isn’t going to make it to Indiana,” husband and wife are now living in Indiana. That is so bad for the Christian faith to speak like this. Samra even falls for these pitfalls a few times in the book by saying “God told me” (ie, the gender of the baby) and he was wrong. I’m sorry, but that absolutely disgusts me. I know your heart is in the right place, but I’m not interested in playing probability games like that. You had a 50/50 shot, with God in your ear (apparently), and you got it wrong? Dude!! How is that not a critical alarm to abort this thinking?
Annoyingly, had you made the right guess (by happenstance and probability, I measure), you would have identified that as “how to discern God’s voice, he moves in mysterious ways…” come on. Now, my perspective clearly runs the risk of not giving credit where credit is due. If God is deeply involved in our day to day, and we fail to acknowledge it, that doesn’t sit well either (note - were I to take stage, I would consider he IS deeply involved, and has given us more than we can ever ask for… and we have hope! We don’t need more than that!). I am not avoiding the reality that my view is problematic in its own way (can we all just acknowledge that we don’t know for sure as a prelude to any book like this), but problematic to a much lesser degree I measure, especially if we acknowledge that we have free choice and God’s blessing can come through that. I did not seek God’s will for my house. I used conventional human wisdom and advise from people in the industry. I prayed, “If this is your will…” we got the house in a tough market. It’s been incredible. I call it an incredible blessing. Was God moving, trying to get me to notice that this house was the one, or did I miss out on a better one? What an awful thought that will incite anyone to intense regret. “You missed God” or “you could have had better.” In my study of human behavior, there is immense risk of people getting buried / paralyzed in such toxic thought. But, unfortunately, it’s a heck of a lot easier and convenient to think in a “God told me” way, especially where it’s difficult to disprove claims… another one of my tangents that I don’t care to unpack right now.
I also want to acknowledge the catch-22 within this thinking. “If you find God’s will, and it is good, praise God for He is good!” But if it’s not good and lowkey sucks, then it is the “best you coulda got” (best available avenue)- can’t remember where he said this exactly but I know he did. Or, as some rather naïve friends (new in their faith… again, the snare here is that this thinking snags the young and vulnerable) have put forth, “God placed me here so I can learn something he wants me to learn.” That’s fine so long as truth is within this mapping - but if we imagine for a moment that “truth,” whatever that is, is not within this picture and elsewhere entirely, believers of this theology will be stuck in a confirmation loop because there is no way to combat or disagree. “God told me to walk around naked downtown,” then “Oops” or “well I guess God wanted me to grow in prison…” whether truth is here or not, you’re stuck in a loop.
This, dangerously, argues for a infinitely thin line one must walk as he / she walks in line with “God’s will for me.” He / she must then always look for “signs” (lol) and bear the maddening weight of “did I miss something, and am I in God’s second best??”
What I can’t stand is Samra’s contention to this being the absolute, then completely dismissing serious concerns about his thinking. Maybe he needs too, his faith is so embedded in “God speaking to me” that the suggestion that God didn’t tell him who to marry would shatter him. Just because the Bible describes something doesn’t mean we need to do something. “Do not kill” is different than “Gideon laid a fleece, so will I.” “Do not lie” is different than “Noah built an ark, so will I.” Come on.
Other things that made me upset that I will not unpack:
- assumes God speaks the same way to everyone
- strong possibility of finding meaning in things where there is no meaning (creating meaning)
- your thoughts / perceptions are NOT infallible
- undersold major issues with that thinking, terrible “God told me”
- Superiority syndrome in faith (example: speaking in tongues in Corinthians 1)
- suggests if you do not hear from God, the problem is you, YOU are doing something wrong
- with due dates, encourages you to wait indefinitely until you hear decisively from God (oh, your class deadline was last week and you’ve not heard from God? Maybe you’ll get in classes next time).
- undersells conventional human wisdom guided by the Biblical morality
- Encourages use of “God told me”
- unclear distinction on the role of free will in God’s will
- People justifying their own thoughts and feelings with God told me… convenient how “God told you” something that was perfectly in line with what you wanted to do anyway.
- “God shuts doors!!” … or, was he testing your determination?
- Perception is reality. God supersedes reality.
Last thing… if you need to defend your sanity in the title of a book, that’s probably a good sign you need to reconsider reality. I say and think this and much more and with love. Always easy to be a critic, though. I just hope people know it doesn’t need to be this way.
October 13, 2025
I read God Told Me: Who to Marry, Where to Work, Which Car to Buy…And I’m Pretty Sure I’m Not Crazy by Jim Samra a few years ago, and it’s one that really stayed with me. It helped me think differently about how God speaks and guides us in everyday life. I appreciated how balanced and down-to-earth it was - honest about how easily we can misunderstand God’s voice, yet encouraging about how personally He leads us. It gave me a clearer, more grounded perspective on faith and decision-making, and I still find myself thinking back to parts of it today.
June 1, 2021
Never before have I had someone answer with such clarity and precision all the questions I have about hearing God's voice! I usually get a trivial answer like, "God will make it clear to you when He's speaking." While true, those statements are extremely unhelpful. This book lays the foundation of everything you need to know, whether as a veteran or baby believer, and has given me such great insight into listening for God and hearing Him speak.
May 7, 2022
A wonderful and practical guide to understand how God speaks to people in the here and now.
November 24, 2012
This book is about the struggle that we go through to walk by faith and listen to the guidance of God. The author is a pastor who has a strong education in theology and church history. The author shares examples from the Bible and the lives of past Christians when God guides individual people.
When I started this book, I thought he would irritate me with claim that God speaks to all of us. I know people who tell me that God doesn't speak to them. But, he talks to me sometimes through his word, other people and events in my life. So, I had a feeling that I would quit reading this book in the middle. But, I didn't. I liked the balanced approach that he took. He recognizes the fact that it is hard to know God's will because our own desires can mislead us. I have asked God for His guidance and begged Him to help me know if it is His voice or my desires. I tend to get them mixed up too. The preparing to listen section was a tough one for me. He asks some very tough questions that can help a person to reach a point of being open to God's guidance.
When I started this book, I thought he would irritate me with claim that God speaks to all of us. I know people who tell me that God doesn't speak to them. But, he talks to me sometimes through his word, other people and events in my life. So, I had a feeling that I would quit reading this book in the middle. But, I didn't. I liked the balanced approach that he took. He recognizes the fact that it is hard to know God's will because our own desires can mislead us. I have asked God for His guidance and begged Him to help me know if it is His voice or my desires. I tend to get them mixed up too. The preparing to listen section was a tough one for me. He asks some very tough questions that can help a person to reach a point of being open to God's guidance.
August 5, 2012
What a fresh book! It was extremely informative, biblical, and more like chatting with a good friend than reading a book on how to follow God's guidance. Jim Samra comes from the line of evangelicals who believes that God does still speak today and he will offer you guidance on anything and everything you bring to him. The book is broken into three sections: first, the theological background on why he believes this; second, how God has spoken in the past and will speak to you today; and third, how we can hear when God speaks (and know it's Him).
Full of the biblical stories and principals as well as stories from the Author and his friends, this book is an easy read. It is thorough but light. I'd say it's a great introduction for new Christians and old Christians who need to learn to hear God's voice.
Full of the biblical stories and principals as well as stories from the Author and his friends, this book is an easy read. It is thorough but light. I'd say it's a great introduction for new Christians and old Christians who need to learn to hear God's voice.
August 27, 2016
This book surprised me. I know of no better book on the subject. This refreshing read challenged and inspired me to seek God's will more earnestly and expectantly. Jim Samra has written a clear, thorough (he even addresses the topic of divine guidance through dreams and visions), practical, and wise book interlaced with illuminating testimonies -- Scriptural, personal, modern, and historical -- of the Shepherd's real-life guidance.
September 17, 2012
Amazing book - spoke of how God wants to be involved in your everyday life and decisions. Pastor Samra used biblical and personal stories to relate how God communicates to us or how we can seek out His guidance. Also, it is very well organized and you know what to expect for each chapter. Fantastic idea for a gift or is a book to read through with an accountability partner/group!
January 14, 2013
Jim Samra is my pastor and a good friend of mine. He is also the wisest man I know for his age and a wonderful writer and thinker. We've agreed to disagree on some issues, but I found this book and especially chapter four to be extremely helpful to understand how God speaks to Christians. Anything Jim writes or speaks is worth reading or listening to.
November 26, 2014
I like the way in which Samra recklessly brings God into every aspect of his life but, in practice, his method is not helpful. The Biblical support in this book is almost exclusive from narrative examples (Gideon, Joshua, etc.).
September 9, 2012
This was an excellent presentation of hearing Gods voice.
March 8, 2013
Not sure what to think. Glad it made me think.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews