God’s Leading

My wife, Melissa, was giving me directions as we drove.

“Turn here.” “Straight ahead at the light.” “Left here.” As we neared our destination, she said, “Right here.” I turned right. Her next words were, “No, left!” What she meant to say was, “Turn left, right here.” But “right here” means “right here,” so I dutifully drove in what turned out to be the wrong direction.

God promises to guide our lives at every step.

The Bible makes an emphatic statement in Proverbs 3:5, 6. There is nothing unequivocal in what God has said. “Trust in the LORD … and He shall direct.” God has promised, and God’s promises are sure. God’s willingness to direct the lives of His children is never in question. The believer’s unwillingness to follow may sometimes impede the working out of God’s plans. Impatience is another hindrance.

A young man or woman who grows tired of waiting for the “right” one may simply settle for second-best. An unwillingness to give God adequate time to work out His plans may be the difference between a happy future and a troubled life.

A Christian who prays to know God’s will but afterward cannot discern His leading typically has not taken the time to become familiar with the sound of God’s voice. Daily connecting with God and continually receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit produces an intimacy with heaven that ensures His voice will be heard.

God wishes to lead His church even more than the church wishes to be led. He desires to see the gospel go to the ends of the earth and His children experience growth to full spiritual maturity. The Holy Spirit accomplishes these great works.

As the disciple of Jesus receives the Holy Spirit day by day, he or she will better understand the will of God and more completely surrender to His will.