How do I know I’m in the right place, spiritually speaking – that I’m where God wants me to be at this point in my life? How do I know that God is with me right now, in this moment?

As I work to discern and answer a call to some sort of pastoral ministry, answering these questions is more important than ever.

In a way, the answer to the second question is pretty simple: I know God is with me right now because God is everywhere.

“Where can I go from your Spirit,” the psalmist writes, “or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the land of the dead), you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-12).

Along with Scripture, Christian tradition has consistently taught that God is omnipresent – that God is everywhere, in every time and place. And this has been my experience of God as well.

But how do I know I’m in the right place, spiritually speaking? Saint Paul gives us a clue in his second letter to the Corinthians, telling us that “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17). The freedom Paul speaks of is primarily an inner freedom, and is not dependent on our outward circumstances. It is the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philip 4:7).

Even so, we can get some clues from the circumstances in our lives. A growing feeling of unrest may be a sign that God is calling us to make a change; conversely, a sense of peace and contentment may be (but isn’t always) a sign that we’re right where God wants us to be.

We also know we’re in the right place when we’re doing the work of the gospel – and especially when we’re tending to the needs of the poor and marginalized.

“Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me,” Jesus tells us (Matt 25:40), assuring us that whenever we feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison, He is there with us.

This is how I know I’m in the right place. Since the training I’m undergoing right now (clinical pastoral education) involves ministering to the sick and dying, I know this is work Jesus wants done – and I know He will be present with me as I do it. And since doing this kind of work brings me an inner peace and freedom, I know that the Holy Spirit is present with me as well.

The only question that remains is, where do I go from here? And I trust that this too will be revealed.