J. I. Packer, an Anglican priest and professor, and Carolyn Nystrom, a seasoned (Presbyterian) author of Bible studies and Christian analysis, set out to demystify the puzzle of trying to “find God’s will for my life.” They address a fear they sense among conservatives: that despite one’s best efforts, one might fail to find --- one might miss out on --- God’s personal best. Packer and Nystrom propose that the fear is a remnant of the 19th-century Second Great Awakening. I wonder if it can be more immediately linked to a phrase buried in a sentence heard and memorized by a graying generation: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Did we miss some kind of wonderful?

As implied by the jacket --- a shepherd’s staff superimposed and looming over a bucolic scene --- the loose overarching framework of the book is Psalm 23. If the Lord is our shepherd, as both the Old and New Testaments affirm, he is leading us --- guarding us, guiding us --- in a trustworthy manner.

Much of the book discusses living the daily Christian walk, by biblical counsel and command, and discerning what is good and right. But one chapter delves specifically into vocational issues or “decisions that we expect to be life-shaping hinge-points on which we think our future will turn.” They continue, “We hope that what we have to say will go some way to relieving the tension and anxiety that the making of such decisions can bring.”

This is not a light read. Personal, historical and biblical anecdotes supplement the authors’ points, which are clearly introduced and well outlined. But the sentences themselves require one’s full attention. For example, early in the book the authors summarize “the shape” (as opposed to the “scope” or the “specifics”) of guidance: “The regular shape of guidance is that God teaches us to apply revealed principles of action, both positive and negative; to observe parameters and limits of behavior that the Bible lays down; and thus to follow the path of faithful obedience and true wisdom, in fellowship with the Lord our shepherd who by his Spirit leads us to do so.”

The last chapter of the book focuses on the role of the Holy Spirit and discusses the pitfalls of both undervaluing and overvaluing “God’s gift of reason.” This chapter is worth waiting for and takes the reader beyond a biblical wisdom and reason and godly counsel model.

Speaking of godly counsel, book lovers will be happy to note that Packer and Nystrom espouse not only having Christian role models to imitate; they also claim that “the habit of reading Christian biography, as well as Scripture, is as much to be encouraged as is the habit of associating with the liveliest and ripest Christians that we know.”

Some 10 study questions (for each of 11 chapters) supplement the text, making the book a great candidate for serious topical Bible study.