2 Thess 1:11 – “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”Have you ever asked God for direction? Have you ever in all sincerity presented yourself to the Lord, attempting to be fully abandoned to His any desire and command, but without knowing which way to go? It might be due to a specific decision before you or it might be in the midst of directionless wandering, but in either case, you came to a point where you desired direction, you knew God had specific direction for you, but you did not know what it was? So have I.
I find during these times that at the end of it all…the analysis, the prayers, the listening, the crying out, the searching and seeking…at the end of it all, our response is loosely categorized as one of three actions: we choose to go in the way the Lord would not have us go, we choose to go in the way the Lord would have us go, or we make no active choice in “analysis paralysis.” I have two thoughts about this: 1. How do we get ourselves to do more of the second action, choosing to go in the way of the Lord? 2. Believing in The Sovereign God means more than anything in the world, for even when we have not chosen the Lord, in His sovereignty, grace, and power, He continues to work in those circumstances and bring us back to His preferred will from that point forward, whether or not we made a mistake.
Having a personal relationship with a sovereign, grace filled, fully willing and capable Father God and Savior…I mean really personal, as characterized by frequent conversations and a desire for ever greater unity with Him…this is my only hope. Without knowing that His character is to work for our good (1), that His character is to protect us (2), that His character is to be faithful when we are not (3), that His character is perfect and infallible (4), that He cannot deny Himself (3) and therefore sees all, understands all, works through and in all, and has a place in His heart for us…without knowing this God, my God, and standing on the rock of Christ, I have nothing. And so knowing Jesus is everything, and is certainly everything when we desire direction, especially the more uncertain we are.
I will confess my greatest fear and struggle: I often question whether or not I hear the Lord…or if I’ve ever heard the Lord clearly. Am I being deceived? Have I always been deceived and never knew it? Could I be calling desires of the flesh, the wisdom of man, and the cleverness of the Evil One, God’s voice? What an utterly terrible thought! At these times, there is only one standard to compare these questions to and one place for answers: Scripture. If you have ever come to a place where you doubt your ability to hear from the Lord, please here these words of Truth from the Bible:
John 10:27-28 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Rom 12:1-2 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Are you one of Jesus’ sheep or not? Yes or no? No answer in between is acceptable or accurate. I don’t care how good of a person you are, are you one of Jesus Christ’s sheep? I don’t care how much you’ve backslidden and are struggling with sin right in this moment, have you given your life to Christ in sincerity and are therefore one of Jesus Christ’s sheep? No? Then you do not hear The Shepherd’s voice and your every fear is true—you are directionless and floating, and only the divine grace of God in His mercy can move you in a direction such that you come to the point of the path that He would desire for you, most notably to enter His Kingdom by calling on the name of Christ. But right now you are outside of that. I’ll ask again, are you one of Jesus Christ’s sheep? Yes? Then no more doubting—no more! You do indeed hear His voice. You are empowered to do so by the Holy Spirit who was promised and does indeed indwell everyone who has confessed Christ as their God and Savior.
Ok, so I do hear Jesus’ voice. Why do I still not know what to do and feel that I do not have the clarity and direction that I know I need?! Well, many times our lives and our faith in God is much like a motor boat sitting in the water. If you know anything about boats, you know that in order to steer the boat, you must actually have a forward velocity. The forward velocity allows the rudder to push off of moving water, such that the bow of the boat cuts one direction or the other. Furthermore, in many boats, the motor itself turns and the propeller provides the lateral force required to turn the boat to one direction or the other; however, if that motor is not engaged, then turning the motor has virtually no effect. How does this apply? In “analysis paralysis,” we have turned off our motors and have no forward velocity. Now, it is good and wise to take some time to get alone with the Lord and turn off the motors and consider a situation. But sometimes we reach a point where nothing will happen unless we start our motor and begin to move. The amazing thing is that as we begin to move forward, perhaps in the right direction or in the exact wrong direction—we don’t know in that moment—if we then let God steer our vessels, we can find ourselves being redirected in the direction that we should go. Now, if we start the motors and refuse to let the boat be redirected, then we are no better off. We must be willing to step out in faith, keeping a sensitive ear to the Lord the entire time.
To bring this home a little more clearly: I often find myself saying to the Lord, in effect, “If you would show me the way and give me specific direction, then I will start this motor and run full blast in your direction. I just need to know in which direction to point the boat.” And many times, that absolutely clear direction, with physical, concrete proof that the Lord is telling me to do this or that, just doesn’t come. What I find instead is that a healthy approach is the following: “Here is what I think you’re telling me. This is the direction I think you want me to go. I don’t know. I’m willing to be redirected, so please continue to direct me, Lord. Here I go.” At this point we must trust that as His sheep, we hear His voice, we must begin to step out in faith, and we must keep our ears open to His guidance all the more. I find that with a step of faith, it is often the slight forward motion that then brings the clarity of direction that is needed. If there is no step of faith, then nothing happens. And even steps of faith that may not be perfectly calibrated to go in the direction of the Lord’s perfect choosing, as we go, we get guided, so long as we are receptive to the guidance.
2 Thess 1:11 – “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”
And so, I encourage you: Stop what you’re doing, consider your heart’s desires and compare them with what you know to be the Lord’s desires. Bring before Him your every anxiety and need for direction. Take time to set yourself aside for prayer, the Word, and even fasting. The direction may be clear. But if not, when you feel that you have no way to find clearer direction and you do not know what to do, search to see if there is a way that you sincerely feel might at all possibly be what God desires. Tell Him, test your heart. Then move. Take a first step of faith, allowing the Lord to completely redirect you. He might, He might not. But either way, the boat is moving and able to be steered. And since we have a perfectly sovereign, grace filled, loving, powerful, willing and capable, Father God who sees all, knows all, and works all things together for our good…since this is our God!...we can move forward in confidence, without fear of misstep.
Step out on faith. Start the boat. Choose a direction. Allow the Lord to redirect you AS YOU GO. May the Lord’s wisdom, discernment, love, and grace fill your heart and mind this very day. Amen.
1 – Rom 28:8 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
2 – 2 Thess 3:3 – “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
3 – 2 Tim 2:13 – “if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
4 – Isaiah 6:3 – “"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
Matt 5:48 – “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
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