In Search of God’s Will: Discerning a Life of Faithfulness and Purpose

by Trevor Hudson

Have You Ever Asked, “What Is God’s Will for My Life?”A trusted voice of the Christian faith in spiritual formation and discipleship, deeply shaped by the wisdom of Dallas Willard and St. Ignatius, Trevor Hudson has crafted a “users guide” to discern God’s personal will for our lives. After serving the local congregation as a Methodist pastor in South Africa for almost fifty years, Trevor now lectures, teaches, and offers spiritual retreats both locally and internationally. Over the years this question about discerning God’s will is one that he has heard again and again.In Search of God’s Will creates a biblical imagination around the concept of discernment and provides practical ways to discern God’s personal will for your life, ultimately helping you to become the unique person God wants you to be.You’ll be equipped and encouraged in your faith on how your heart with the heart of God,attune yourself to your calling,listen to God in Scripture,pray the Scriptures,pay attention to the movements of the Spirit in your heart,uncover and exercise your God-given giftedness,notice God’s presence and activity in daily life,engage in sacred conversations with trusted companions,make faithful decisions,take the initiative when God seems silent, and more.Each concept includes a ‘discernment exercise’ so that you can experience what you are learning. If you have ever wondered about God’s personal will for your life, how your desires and God’s desires intersect, and how God is present and active around you, In Search of God’s Will can help you catch glimpses of what it means to become the person that from eternity you were destined to be.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Book Club

176 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2024

Reviews

[Faithful Intellect · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review Rating: 9/10

This Book Is:
- A field guide for discernment.
- Full of exercises to practice discernment.
- Short (160 pages) and written in a very accessible style.
- For discernment in all stages of life.
- Similar to the ideas of Dallas Willard and Richard Foster.

This Book Is Not:
- An academic book about God's will in the abstract.

My Takeaways:
- Being Instead of Doing: My top takeaway from reading In Search of God's Will by Trevor Hudson is the importance of learning to focus on being instead of doing. I am good at making a list of boxes to check so that I can still be in control and measure my success. This approach may be effective for some aspects of life, but it is not the way to true spiritual growth.

Being is more about who we are than what we do. When I focus on who I am and who I am becoming, I quickly realize that I am not in control. The best that I can do is put myself in the posture to cooperate with the Spirit and seek to know God better.

- The Spirit is Quiet, Hidden, and Subtle: If the Spirit is quiet, hidden, and subtle, then I need to regularly prioritize times of solitude. Life can become quite full with work, family, and church commitments. If I add in friends, hobbies, and rest, it truly takes intentionality to make time to pray and listen to God. For me, this also means finding the times where I am at my best and not the spare minutes I have left where I am tired and distracted.

- The Prayer of Examen: One of the practices that has historically helped me best attend to the movements of the heart has been the prayer of Examen from St. Ignatius:
1) Ask for the help of the Spirit.
2) Notice the gifts or blessings you have received throughout the day.
3) Review the moods, thoughts, emotions, and feelings that you have experienced throughout the day.
4) Reflect on failures to respond to God's love and to express it to others.
5) Look forward to tomorrow and ask for whatever help and guidance is needed to make God's dream more real in your life.

When I first started doing this daily, I realized that I couldn't see how God was working in much of anything throughout my day. I wasn't paying attention. This spurred me to focus my attention more in the subsequent days. It did not take long to then see more clearly how God was working in my day-to-day life. From there, I started to proactively think about what God has for me in each moment and to practice experiencing the presence of God more consistently.

Click here to read the full review at Faithful Intellect.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[David Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just fantastically good.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a really really great book. Highly recommend forever went to read. I listened via audiobook, but I plan on getting physical book because there’s a lot of pondering questions that I like to go back to and reread it.

[Hanna Weinheimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t connect to this as much as I was hoping. Not much was new to me, but that’s also coming out of a longer season of personal discernment in the last year. I think this is a wonderful starting point for those seeking God and desiring to know him, themselves, and his will.

[Vicki Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, gentle, genuinely inspiring.

[Angela Ebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I should mention that I really enjoy and admire Trevor Hudson (the author). He seems to be a very genuine man, and I’ve quickly come to appreciate his style and perspective. He is co-teaching a course I am currently taking, and I so respect his walk with Jesus and his humble and insightful manner of teaching and interacting with our class.

Now for the book:
This was a surprising and truly helpful read. “Surprising” because it contains such a holistic approach, acknowledging and examining a range of things from underlying beliefs about God and how He relates to us, to the impact of self-doubt, to how well we listen, in addition to encouraging a deep personal walk with God and a rich understanding of the Scripture. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I enjoyed what I received. :) I also *happened* to be in a time, personally, of vocational discernment, and was grateful for such a kind and practical and thoughtful guide. There are discernment exercises throughout, which I took to heart.

The author has several guiding thoughts and principles to share with us on the topic of discerning God’s will, but this one seemed most essential: “God sends each person into this world with a special message to deliver, with a special song to sing for others, with a special act of love to bestow.”

He also adds this, regarding the meaning of Psalm 139 and Eph 2:10 taken together: “God’s personal will is that you and I live out our little piece of God’s [big] dream [of healing this broken world], with actions that fit the shape of our being.” His concern is that we would live by what others and our culture tell us to live by rather than what the Spirit of God and His continued creative forming of us might call us to live out.

Here are some of the author's words of encouragement from the beginning of the book, that are almost a prayerful meditation as we each seek to discern God’s way for us:

“You have been desired into existence by a Great Love. You are meant to be here. You are known by name. You have been chosen. You have been called by name. Your life has a unique, God-given meaning. Your unrepeatable life matters.”

[Adam Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: A very good introduction to discernment, mostly from the Ignatian perspective. 

This is the second book I have read by Trevor Hudson, and the second that the Renovare Book Club has done. The last book connected Ignatius and Dallas Willard, so I knew that Hudson was familiar with Ignatius and that he was a spiritual director, primarily leading the Spiritual Exercises.

I was happy to read In Search of God's Will and now have a new book that I will strongly recommend when thinking about discernment. I went back and looked and I have read more than 35 books directly or indirectly about discernment over the past few years so I have some perspective on what discernment is and how it should be discussed. In Search of God's Will checks most of the boxes of what I want. I still recommend All that is Good as a starting place, but then this is the book I would recommend after that.

One of my complaints about discernment teaching is that it is often reduced to a spiritualized decision making system. Hudson avoids much of both by the way he defines discernment and how all encompassing the discussion is toward the whole of life.

According to Hudson, "Discerning what God wants, therefore, involves paying careful attention to what God is doing and saying and to what we think and feel about the choices we are facing." That is just a nicely rounded definition. It accounts for it being a spiritual activity, it pays attention to the fact that we need to understand our own desires and needs as part of the discernment process, that feelings are essential, not just some type of abstracted knowledge, and that we have autonomy to make choices, not just be directed in a deterministic method.

Ignatius puts a lot of emphasis on learning to see God's presence around us as a basis for discernment. Hudson expands on his definition to say, "...discernment involves recognizing God’s active presence and voice so we can respond to what God is doing and saying and bring our lives more into harmony with God’s dream for our world. This can only happen when we are aware of how and where God is calling us in our daily experiences and events." The paying attention to God is essential, but also Hudson is noting that there is a purpose for the paying attention, to become who God has created us to be. Part of why I think that discernment is so important is that, rightly done, it is an essential part of recognizing our creation and embracing both our limitations as human beings, but also the particular gifting and make up that God as uniquely created within us.

One of the helpful parts of In Search of God's Will, and one of the parts that will mostly be skipped over, is that the book is full of exercises to practice what Hudson is talking about. He walks the reader through what he means by discernment and steps the reader through exercises designed to help understand the larger process.

He has a nice piece of advice that he was given, and that I am going to steal. “Always remember, Trevor, that we do not learn from experience; we learn when we reflect on experience.”  He expands on that piece of advice:

Why is the practice of reflecting on our circumstances important? Remember, there is one central conviction on which discernment is based. Here it is again: The Bible witnesses to God’s active presence in every experience, every encounter, and every event. There is no place in our everyday lives where God is absent. We must resist any kind of split spirituality that separates our lives into spiritual and nonspiritual compartments. The divine footprint is present in all our circumstances. God wants to meet us in all the realities of our daily lives. However, we will only discern how God is present and active in these things when we reflect on them. This is how discernment works. We reflect on the outer landscape of our lives to catch glimpses of how God has been present and active in those events. While we often cannot see God coming, it is easier to look back and discern how God has been with us. Learning to recognize God’s activity in our lives makes it possible for us to respond to God more faithfully as we go forward. It helps us purposefully align our own decisions and choices with God’s action in and around us. By fine-tuning our antennae to “hear” God’s voice speaking through our circumstances, we build the foundation for a life of faithful discipleship.

In my avoidance of reducing discernment to a spiritualized decision making toolkit, I can sometimes deemphasize that part of the point of discernment is making decisions. And Hudson rightly balances that by reminding us that, "Discernment without decision-making remains incomplete." (I contend that the real point of discernment is formation into Christlikeness, but we are formed in part by the decisions that we make as part of discernment.)

Discernment is a lifetime project. I think we need to start by orienting ourselves toward what is good, not just avoiding what is wrong (which is why I think most people should start with Hannah Anderson's All that is Good). But the next step is starting to pay attention to both ourselves and the work of God around us. And In Search of God's Will does a very good job of orienting us to do both. Discernment is easier for people who are introspective. But all people can build skills of discernment even if some find it easier than others. This book is a good place to start.

This was originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/in-search-of-gods-w...

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I joined Renovaré Book Club this year, and this was our first book for 2025–2026. I had never heard of Trevor Hudson before, and soon realised why: this style of writing, thinking, and reflecting is way outside my comfort zone and personality. Having said that, I decided to stick with it—and I’m glad I did. I ended up with eight pages of notes from such a short book!

I don’t agree with everything Hudson writes. Some of his ideas and practices—like lectio divina and contemplative exercises—felt unfamiliar and, at times, even uncomfortable, especially coming from a Bible-believing, Puritan-influenced background. But there is still a lot of value here if you are willing to engage thoughtfully, reflect, and consider what may resonate for you.

The book’s main focus is on discerning God’s personal will, which Hudson distinguishes from God’s general will (love God and love your neighbour). Discerning God’s personal guidance requires paying attention to both the “outer landscape” of our lives—circumstances, relationships, opportunities—and the “inner landscape” of our thoughts, feelings, and desires. He emphasizes that discernment is an ongoing, practical process: reflection, prayer, listening to Scripture, and noticing what brings life and joy into our daily activities.

Hudson also stresses the importance of becoming who God created us to be. He challenges the reader to notice what energises them, what drains them, and how these insights reveal the “sound of the genuine” within. By aligning our actions with our gifts and passions, we participate in God’s broader purposes in the world. Reflection, listening to God and others, and daily surrender are presented as practical, repeatable habits for deepening intimacy with God.

Hudson’s writing feels personal and gentle, as if he is speaking face-to-face, but he also invites deep thought and honest self-examination. This is a “you with God” book—it requires time, attention, and willingness to slow down, and it will stretch you beyond familiar ways of thinking about Scripture and calling.

Not everything will resonate, but there are fresh perspectives on Scripture, exercises for discernment, and practical reminders about using your gifts for God and others. If you are willing to step outside your comfort zone, this book can be a meaningful guide to reflecting on your life, gifts, and calling.

[Cesar · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Search of God’s Will,
Discerning a Life of Faithfulness and Purpose by Trevor Hudson

Key theme provided by Renovaré… “A journey into a more conversational life with God.”

Hudson uses the term “conversation” 83 times in the book and sees the process of listening and sharing with God and others as key to discerning God’s will. Specifically key to seeing God’s view of a problem and next steps He wishes you to see. An ongoing practice which leads to transformation of your heart.

Reading advice: As presented in book’s preface, Hudson will invite you to stop reading for a “Discernment Exercise.” Exercises are taken from his experience practicing and leading others in Ignatian spiritual exercises. When you come to an exercise in the book, I suggest ending reading for the day by doing the exercise with a journal. At one point there might only be a few pages of reading between exercises… this might be a good day to study scripture verses Hudson has referenced in the text for that exercise (or those previously mentioned).

Key exercises for daily practice will be the morning prayerful “Lectio Devina” scripture reading and evening “Examen” contemplation. These morning and evening times with a journal, maybe 10-15 minutes each, will be the home base for the conversation with God and other ongoing practice recommendations.

Notes for follow-up:

This is the 1st book of four books the 2025/2026 Renovaré Book Club - bookclub podcast interviews with Hudson are helpful with some key concepts not in the book. One of example: Ignatian Detachment (Freedom) - Ask God to take my heart and things that I hold on to too tightly- allow Him to provide your surrender. I believe this is a help to understanding concept of a God centered “Spiritual Consolidation” starting on p. 56.

Conversatio.org has quite a bit of information on the subject including a video class by Hudson based on the book.

[Neil Saltmarsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

My actual rating is 3 and a half. This is the 2nd book that I have read by Trevor Hudson. It is easy to read and used the framework of Ignatian spirituality to discern how to read God's will. This is to be expected, as Trevor has a deep knowledge of Ignitian spirituality. While reading the book, (and this is where I am critical), my question was that this is good for the introverts but what about the extroverts? The text involves much inward reflection. There are discernment exercises throughout the book, and my guide would be to do the ones that resonate with you, otherwise, it will take some time to go through the book. My other criticism is that every solution seems to rely on 3 dot points which reflects a pastoral leading of the reader. Not everyone will object to it, but sometimes I thought, "Is that a true resolution for quite a hard question?" It is just me, but I am over being fed dot points for comprehension, and therefore, find it annoying. Personally, I have no problem with Ignatian spirituality but it does seem to be the dominant framework for spiritual directors who have been trained. There surely are other valid ways of discerning what God is doing. Look at Matthew 2, there are at least 4 ways in that chapter alone.

[D.J. Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own most if not all of the books Trevor Hudson has written. This is his best. Not that the others weren't good. Hudson keeps growing in his writing, and the thoughts and practices in the book are a culmination of 40 plus years. I read the book in a Listening course, and met with a small group of friends ages 30-70, and we all gained from the book even though we are in different seasons of discernment. If a person can't get into a Listening course with Hudson, I'd say that this book would be a great place to start on one's listening journey. The exercises are worth the price of the book although I had been advised not to try to do every exercise all within the time that it takes to read the book straight through -- advice which I followed, and it is one reason I will keep returning to the book. I have underlined many thoughts in the book. Would my mom read it? I wish. I could comment just a bit further. My mom exemplifies some of the kingdom life in this book, yet we're never too old to learn a little more. And, I know that I have a lot to learn from Hudson's teaching and exercises. I highly recommend the book.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hudson has an engaging style that makes a serious topic very readable and understandable. The short book (160 pages) is set out in 3 sections with 10 chapters. Six of those chapters are in section 2: "Discerning God's Will" where Hudson covers Heart alignment, Listening to God in Scripture and Engaging in Sacred Conversations to name three.

The final two chapters in Section 3 involve the 'Practicing' of what you've discerned which is just as critical as the discernment process.

Full of 'Discernment Exercises' throughout every chapter, Hudson has the reader doing the work as you read. These are very useful and make the book more than just a thoughtful read. Like all Hudson books, there are references to many other great 'discerners' which adds to the reading experience.

Come with a sense of curiosity and wonder as you read being prepared to discover something new about God's will for your life. I expect I'll be referring back to this book many times in the future.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Update: Chapter 9 of In Search of God’s Will

I’m continuing this beautiful journey through In Search of God’s Will with the Renovaré Book Club, and what a blessing it’s been to pair the readings with the podcast reflections and discussion forums. Each chapter draws me deeper into the heart of discernment and the peace that comes from resting in God’s presence rather than striving for control.

One quote that really resonated with me this week is:

“Here, the emphasis is not on applying what we have read to our lives. Rather, we want to creatively craft a life that responds to what God has shown us in our reading of Scripture.”

That line captures so well the spirit of living in and from the presence of God, not treating Scripture as something to master, but allowing it to master and mold us in love. This chapter has stirred a fresh awareness in me to pray with God’s Word rather than about it, staying attentive and surrendered in His presence. ❤️ 😊 🕊

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is striking to be finishing this book the same morning I am finishing Recovering from Emotionally Immature Parents: such different authors and books, yet so much overlap when read side by side. Here, Trevor Hudson speaks from a worldview of God being ultimate reality, seeing ourselves as made by Him. Yet he lands in similar places to the other book, asking the reader to notice what makes you feel alive, what drains you, and to pay attention to that, in his case seeing it as part of why God has you here.

I'm not someone who learned these basic principles growing up, so books that remind me to listen to my own desires are kind of revelatory. Maybe they wouldn't be for everyone. But finishing this book today, I am really thankful to have read it! I feel like I'm in a season of learning a lot and it is good to grow.

[Stephen G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very balanced and practical guide on how to discern God's personal will for your life. As a pastor, I've noticed people can often make big decisions based on just one way of hearing from God (e.g. "I had a dream..."). Hudson lays out a number of ways God speaks, some of which we might overlook, like sacred conversations or the gifts God has hard-wired us with.

He includes some exercises scattered throughout the book to help the reader immediately apply what he's shared.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who might be newer in their faith and trying to learn how to discern God's will or to people in their 20s or 30s who are making big, life-altering decisions like who to marry, where to move, or what job to choose.

Hudson is a wise, experienced, compassionate voice who is a great guide to teach this subject matter.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical without being shallow. Trevor calls us to live as the unique person God designed us to be, to discover the unique name with which Gid named us. His suggested practices throughout the book invite us to slow down and interact and absorb the material, to make it personal and to draw close to God, rather than just reading to accumulate knowledge.

I'm still undecided if this was a bit too self focused and self-help style or not.

[Don Harton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trevor Hudson has a gentle way of encouraging us to engage with God. In this book he brings years of pastoral experience together with his own personal Ignatian journey to the questions around discernment. With dozens of practical exercises, he provides a clear path for believers to hear from our living God.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of the Renovare bookclub. Honestly, I feel like someone will get the most from this book if you read it while going through a process of discernment. There is a lot here that will be extremely helpful, and it is encouraging to hear the ways that God does want to speak to us. This would be a great book to have on the shelf for the time when you know you need it.

[David Huber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for LEAD 512, was decent

[Simone Dorcas]

Excellent book- Clear, concise and easy to understand what God wants from us!

[Dawne · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this for our Inside Out Leadership class. It is well organized and has great content. I love the Bible verse reading guide in the back of the book.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good. So practical. I adore Trevor Hudson.

[Wendy Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now one of my favorite books. It is simple and clear, but it has depth along with practicality.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short simple read with GREAT discernment exercises that help you along your journey. Will hang on to this book for rereading & revisiting the exercises again & again.

[Gini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply and gently written for folks like me by someone who has walked a path similar to mine. Helpful exercises to clear away the clutter and move forward.

[JoAn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually take the time to give my review, but I think this book is exceptional. Deep subject made into an exciting and practical read. Highly recommend.

[Becky Auld · Rating 5 out of 5]

outstanding

Highly recommend this book and look forward to reading it again and practicing the exercises. Trevor clearly has a calling and is purpose to share this message with us!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a fast read but is very worthwhile. I plan to keep my copy handy and reference rhe discernment exercises frequently. Reading with other would be ideal.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated the humble, practical guidance in working out the reality that we are uniquely made, and can grow into who God made us to be.

[Stephen G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-judged the book as “another find God’s will book”- but it was not.

The book grew on me. I started reading thinking “another book on find God’s will” but it became quickly apparent that Trevor Hudson was sharing invaluable truths found from a life of one who had (and is) seriously searching of God’s will and whose heart and pen is focused on the reader and his/her spiritual journey to live a life abundantly in God’s beautiful and adventurous will.