Most students have an unrealistic view of God's direction. They're waiting for a voice in the ear, a tap on the shoulder, a dream, a sign, a special feeling. There is a reason these means of divine communication are called "extraordinary." God saves them for times when He needs to bonk someone on the head. Even then they must be tested to make sure that they really come from God; most such experiences don't. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, "Test everything" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
What then is God's ordinary means of communicating His will? Scripture calls it Wisdom. "Wisdom is the principal thing," says the book of Proverbs; "therefore get Wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (4:7, KJV).
How then do we get Wisdom? If we live in obedience to Him, following His ways and doing all the things we already know He wants us to do — like trusting Him, talking with Him, studying His word, following His laws, thinking about His ways, worshipping with His people and showing compassion to those whom He puts on our path — He gradually illuminates our thinking, sharpens our discernment, and deepens our understanding. That is getting Wisdom.
In short, God usually works through rather than aside from our deliberations, in rather than apart from our minds. It's not for nothing that He commands us to love Him all our heart, soul, and strength and all our minds. Christ "takes every thought captive." This is part of the meaning of conversion.
And as you have already discovered, it also tests our patience and our faith. God likes that too. The test isn't to tell Him about us but to tell us about ourselves; He already knows.
So don't wait for the "bonk." He is guiding you already. Not with fireworks, not with special feelings, not with angelic visitations, but by walking alongside you, His hand on your shoulder, through the quiet corridors of your thoughts.
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