It’s easy for my son to know what I want him to do – I just need to give him that ‘look’. Not as easy when it comes to knowing what God wants us to do, though!
Everything around me seemed right, and the direction that the Lord wanted me to follow appeared to be obvious. The path ahead appeared to be as clear as daylight, and I could not see any obstacles ahead. “This must be the path that the Lord is leading me to follow,” I said to myself, as I quickly got up and started my trek down the path. Little did I know – there was a bump in the road that I had not seen, followed by a trench. I tripped on the bump, lost my footing and landed in the trench. As I sat there, asking God why this happened, all He said was, “Are you sure I led you down that path in the first place?”
Have you had such an experience? One where you are completely sure that you are doing what the Lord wants you to do, only to land in a stinky, sticky trench halfway along the journey? Not to worry – you are in good company. I have had this experience several times.
As every year passes, I try my best to understand and follow God’s call, but it is not always easy. I do, however, have a couple of tips that I would like to share with you on how to navigate the complexity of God’s call.
Use the Word as a guide
The most interesting (and sometimes annoying) thing about the Lord’s call is that nothing is ever written down in stone. You will rarely see the writing on the wall saying “marry that person,” or “move to this town and start a business,” or “quit your job and get into ministry.” Most of the time, what we hear from the Lord is like a voice in the distance, a voice that we so easily ignore in favor of the one deep in our hearts.
So how, then, do you confirm that what the Lord is saying to you is true? You turn to the voice that the He left us – His Word.
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (NLT)
Though the Word may not always give us specifics like which job to apply for, who to marry, etc., it will always point us in the right direction. If we use the Word to guide and illumine our paths, we are not likely to trip over bumps and land in muddy trenches (like I did!) Rather, we will be able to walk confidently, even in dark, unfamiliar territory, knowing that the Lord is by our side until the end of the journey.
There are many times I have opened the Bible looking for answers, wishing that I would land on a verse that would speak specifically to my situation. When I was younger, I wished the Bible would be clearer on certain issues, and I often wondered why the Lord made things so hard to figure out. Then, one day, I came across this verse.
Isaiah 30:21 “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.” (NLT)
Then I understood how God’s call works. He does not have to show us the exact details of what we are supposed to do with our lives. He instead teaches us how to figure out things based on His principles. Once you and I have the Word firmly embedded in our hearts, we will constantly hear His voice through it, leading, guiding and directing us to the right paths.
Yes, the call of God may be complex, but as we spend more time in the Word, understanding the Lord’s nature, His commandments and most importantly, His ways, we will find that knowing what He wants us to do is not that hard after all!
Trusting Him
I have written about trusting God often – trusting Him when things are tough, trusting Him as a provider, trusting Him as a comforter, etc. It’s one thing to trust God when He is helping you with stuff that is out there and beyond your control. It’s a whole other story when you have to trust Him with your life’s direction!
I have had to learn how this works the hard way. At times the Lord will tell me to do something without revealing all the details behind the instruction. When I choose not to obey His instructions, things always end up badly. When I obey His instructions, however, as soon as I complete my task, everything becomes clear.
Why, then, do we need to trust God as well as obey Him when He calls us?
Remember Jonah? The man who decided that a trip to Tarshish was a plan than declaring the Word of the Lord to the people of Nineveh? Well, Jonah did not understand why the Lord wanted to save those people because according to him, they were beyond redemption! God, on the other hand, knew that if He warned them, they would surely turn from their wicked ways. Sadly, Jonah missed the initial, ground-breaking opportunity to see what God could do in the lives of a people known worldwide for their wickedness and beastly acts. Could it be that Jonah did not trust God enough, and was thus unwilling to be His messenger?
I must admit that there are times when I am too afraid to do what God wants me to do. I forget to trust Him. I forget that the voice behind me that tells me where to go and what to do is God’s. I forget that when the Lord instructs me to do something, my job is to trust Him and then do it.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT)
Yes, the call of the Lord is complex, but not impossible. When He calls me to perform a task, I need to do what He is asking me to do and trust Him concerning the outcome. I also need to remember that the job is His, not mine. I am just the messenger. And finally, trust and obedience should apply to all the tasks He gives us – in our personal lives, and in the church, whether significant or insignificant, great or small.
“Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.”
(John Sammis, Henry Towner, 1887)
Hi, everyone! I hope that after reading this article you realize that obeying the Lord is not as complex as it seems if you trust in Him fully and rely on His word to direct you. If you know anyone who may benefit from this article, please share it with them. Have a great week ahead!
Friends and family! Thanks to you, my blog got through the nomination stage, and is now up for a BAKE award! Please take a minute to cast your vote for this inspirational blog. I’ll truly appreciate it. The details are:
Voting link: https://vote.bakeawards.co.ke/vote
Category 18: Religious or Spirituality
Vote for no. 18E, http://www.therelationshipmirror.com/blog/
Please ask your friends and family to vote too. Blessings!