April 25 I Tuesday

2 Samuel 21-22

Luke 18:24-43

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”    —Proverbs 19:21

The guidance of God has been likened to obeying the rules of the road. We stop at red lights, signal when turning, obey the speed limit and so on, but the problem is this makes following God completely “objective,” leaving no room for His intervention. Others take a view that God’s guidance is more like having a built-in spiritual GPS, where they rely on their own knowledge, intuitions, visions and dreams, but that also presents a problem. This is totally “subjective,” and that which comes from within us must be measured by some objective criteria.

       How do we get the rules of the road and the built-in spiritual GPS operating together? God places within the heart of every Christian desires and motivations that are like a compass, pulling us in a certain direction. The direction will always be in line with Scripture—not just a verse or two, but the whole of Scripture. It will also be something that draws us closer to God and for the benefit and blessing of others. We do not need every step or result mapped out and explained. The Christian life is living by faith, not by sight, and we trust God for His direction.

       When that pull on our hearts is persistent, God will open the right door at the right time for the right purpose, and it is time to make a move. Some of us are so paralysed by fear of a wrong move that we never make a right move, but God has a built-in parachute for the wrong mover! Isaiah 30:21 says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Most of us would prefer the voice go ahead of us, giving us confirmation of each step, but the voice is behind us, sometimes without us consciously aware of it—perhaps even for years—until we step off course, and it says, “Come back.”

       As Christians, we either move forward or backward in our walk with God, but we do not stand still. We keep going in what seems the obvious direction, and if God needs to adjust it, He will. It is not the green light we have to watch out for, but the red light, and if we have wandered off course, in a way unique to each of us, God will put us back on track. But He will only guide a moving vehicle. We have to be people who are moving forward, growing and developing in Christ, which comes out of a living, active, committed relationship with Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I want to move forward in my walk with You. Grant me a heart in tune with Yours, and able to discern Your direction for me. Thank You, Lord.