My grandmother loved to do puzzles in the newspaper every day. Her favorite by far was the "Jumble." Jumbles require decoding four words with the letters scrambled, then deciphering a cryptic "mystery" answer alluded to by the accompanying cartoon. If I was home sick from school, Gramma would call me and we'd work the puzzles together over the phone. Sadly, the "Jumble" has disappeared from my hometown newspaper, but I've found a replacement: Unscrambling the mystery of God's will for my life each day!

"How can I know God's will for my life? How can I hear His voice?" In my experience, these are probably two of the top 10 questions small group members ask. In times of fortune or misfortune, everyone experiences times when God's will is unclear, scripture seems jumbled, and life is just a puzzle.

One of my favorite writers described it this way:

I teb siht si yllaer drah ot daer.

If you didn't get any of that, I was writing it backward. It said: "I bet this is really hard to read." That's how God is sometimes. You can get really confused about what he says and what he means, or even if it's him talking. Most people expect a loud, boomy voice to suddenly come from the sky, but that's not usually how it is.

As much as we may want a miraculous sign or the "secret four steps" to discerning God's will, more often than not we're challenged to unscramble a jumble puzzle of conflicting input and counsel. And even a 14-year-old understands that -- since that's the age the above writer, my daughter Sarah, was when she wrote that little devotion.

"How can I know God's will for my life? How can I hear His voice?" These are tough questions. But don't be intimidated, and whatever you do, don't give up.

The following activity can help your small-group members dig into a meaningful and potentially life-changing study of how to discern and follow God's will for their lives. Follow these easy steps:

1. Print the following sentence on slips of paper and hand one to every member in the group: I teb siht si yllaer drah ot daer.

2. Ask members to try to decipher the message. Have them share their first reactions and interpretations of the message and how similar it is to how they feel about unscrambling God's will for their lives.

3. Explain that you're going to dig deeper into how to know God's will and hear His voice. Break into five smaller groups. Assign each group the task of unscrambling one of the following answers, then allow three minutes for them to discuss how it helps them discern God's will:
Lhyo Riispt  (Holy Spirit)
Tcuperis       (Scripture)
Ayrrpe            (Prayer)
Mstuncceraisc (Circumstances)
Unocels        (Counsel)

4. Get back into your larger group. Ask each group to share their unscrambled word-or give it to them now it they were stumped-and how they believe it helps them to discern God's will for their lives.

5. Read the following quote from Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby:  "An intimate love relationship with God is the key to knowing God's voice…Some people try to bypass the love relationship. Some look for a miraculous sign or try to depend on a "formula" or a set of steps to discover God's will. No substitute, however, exists for the intimate relationship with God." Then discuss:

• How would strengthening your relationship with God help you unscramble the mystery of God's will for your life? What needs strengthening most right now?
• What would an "intimate love relationship" with God look like in your life?

6. End your time together with prayer and read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

Linda Crawford has been a small group and women's ministry leader and leadership trainer. She is the author of Group's Simply Relevant Bible studies Finding Balance and A Taste of Freedom. Her daughter Sarah's first published article, "799 Squares of Toilet Paper: Tiny Lies Still Impact the Whole Truth," appears in the January 2011 issue of SUSIE magazine.