THE BEGINNING OF GUIDANCE

The couple was very unhappy. They had joined the staff of a megachurch but soon found the egocentricity of the pastor and his wife very discouraging. The politics, bickering and lack of loyalty among the staff only added to their discomfort. They were asked, “What are you going to do?” and their response was, “We’re not telling anyone on staff, but as soon as we can find another position equal to this or better, we’ll take it and move on.”

A mutual friend invited me to comment on the situation and I stumbled over my words for a minute before I spoke to the issue. “What they are planning to do is not the way of guidance in the kingdom of God,” I said. I am not saying it doesn’t ever happen that a door will open up and then you make the move, but it is not the pattern of Scripture. The way of the world is to find a new opportunity without telling your boss and then go in and quit. I believe this is what Jesus referred to as “the way of the Gentiles” and He told His disciples not to proceed in that pathway (see Matthew 10:5).

I went on, “Especially for people in ministry, it is vital that they get their direction from the Lord. If they clearly had a word from the Lord to take this position, then He will be the one to tell them when to leave. Has He spoken to them about this?” My question was greeted with silence.

There is nothing wrong with a good plan but let it be secondary to the direction the Lord gives.

There must be a place where guidance begins, where it starts to flow in our lives. Far too often we want to know the end result first. We want to see fully where we are going and if the end goal is “good for me.” It is not uncommon for someone to pick up a novel and read the last few pages before starting on page one. That’s human nature.

It is important for us to realize that divine guidance is most often a progressive revelation and, like every process, every procedure, there is a beginning point. Every explosion has a point of detonation that sets the explosive power loose. Where do we find that in guidance?

Genesis 12:1 (see also Hebrews 11:8):

Now the LORD had said to Abram, “Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.”

Abraham’s journey began with his act of obedience to the word the Lord had given him and it is the act of obedience that starts the miracle of divine guidance in your life.

This is the first part of God’s promise to Abraham (vv.1-3). The remainder was about what his offspring would become and how God would bless him and protect him. God did not tell Abraham exactly where he was going but He did promise him a progressive revelation, a step-by-step “I will show you.”

I can testify to the validity of this principle. More than once God has spoken to me about making a step that to me seemed, well . . . difficult to understand! More than once I have argued with the Lord that “just in case You have forgotten, I have a family, I have responsibilities. I am a man who works with a well laid-out plan, so tell me what’s in the future if I do this.” God’s response to my brilliant logic was, “Do you trust Me?” And He has proven His trustworthiness, over and over. As it was with Abraham, so it will be with us.

In Genesis 24 Abraham is now an old man. He calls his chief servant to him and gives him an assignment. The servant is to go to the country where Abraham was born and find a wife for Isaac. Not a difficult assignment, but where in the world do you start? The chapter recounts the successful trip that ended in the servant bringing back Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife. The testimony of the servant is very revealing about God’s faithfulness to lead His children, and it’s a testimony to the progressive nature of God’s, “I will show you.” 

“And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren” (Genesis 24:27, KJV).

One of the lessons I first learned when starting to drive is so simple that it’s kind of ridiculous to repeat it. It is easier to correct the direction of a car when it is moving than when it is parked. Simple, right? Just get the car moving, even very slowly, and you can refine the direction it is headed. The very same truth is applicable in how God guides our lives. Do we believe it? Not so much! Instead we rationalize and say, “God, show me where I’m going and I’ll make the move.”  How’s that working out for you?

“I, being on the journey, the Lord continues to lead me!” (David, 07/15, The New Living Amplified Version)