How Is Your Sense of Direction?

 

I’m one of those people who is often called ‘directionally challenged’. Yes, quite often I lose my way. If I’m in a large shopping mall and I go into a particular shop, I’ll often come out and turn back the way I’ve already come, forgetting which direction I went in. Just ask my daughters or my husband and they will heartily agree that this is the case. I rely on maps, GPS’s and scribbled instructions complete with landmarks easily recognized to help me find my way. Now, it’s not always the case, as I can find my way around places I regularly go, but all too often I find myself needing a little help.

Finding God’s will in our lives can be a lot trickier than just finding our way to a particular coffee shop or specialty store. We need His direction. We need His guidance. We need His wisdom.

God desires for us to walk closely to Him and have the kind of relationship that sees us quickly seeking His counsel and direction in all matters of our lives. He longs for us to go to Him and ask for guidance. We read in His word an important reminder.

James 1:5 -  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

During our daily quiet times, we need to come into His presence and lay our questions before Him, asking Him what His will is and letting Him lead and guide in the decisions we have to make. Our schedules, our priorities, our to-do lists all need to be laid before Him so that we can discover what it is He wants us to do.

Do you find that when you try and establish your own schedule and agree to meeting certain obligations, appointments, meetings etc, without first going to God and seeking His direction, that you become frustrated and irritated? Frazzled and overwhelmed with more to do than you can possibly handle, finding yourself even further behind than when you started?

I am learning that if I submit my calendar to the Lord and let Him show me how to organize my days, that my attitude changes as I see the interruptions as heaven-sent, and I am more at peace with what gets done and what doesn’t.

This author put it so well I’ll quote her words:

“I’ve learned that there will never be enough time in the day for me to do everything on my “to do” list. There will never be time for me to do everything on everyone else’s “to do” list for me. But there will always be enough time for me to do everything on God’s “to do” list for my life.” N.L.M

So, if I, on a regular basis, ask the Lord to help me discern what His priorities are for my life and ask for grace and wisdom, He helps me have the discipline to say yes only to those things that He wants me to do and be able to say no to those things He has not ordered for me.

There are many verses in scripture on Jesus being obedient to the will of His Father. We read of Him doing the work which the Father had sent Him to do.

John 6:38 KJV - For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

 

John 5:30 KJV - I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

 

John 8:28 KJV - Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

 

John 12:49-50 KJV - For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

The Lord Jesus modelled a submissive spirit and an obedient heart, a wonderful example to follow. We need to do the will of the Father.

But how do we know what that is? How do we learn to listen to God and how does He speak to us?

Let’s look to scripture again for our example.

Mark 1:35 KJV - And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

We see Jesus going to a solitary place and praying. Praying to the Father in order to know His will. Is the reason we have no sense of direction in our lives because we haven’t taken the time to sit at Jesus feet and really listen to Him speak to us? Have we not sat long enough to ask Him for direction? Have we not found our solitary place and there prayed?

So how does God speak to us? We don’t hear His audible voice, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t speaking. He speaks through His Word. As we read and meditate on the Words of scripture, He reveals His will to us. Look at how the Psalmist puts it.

Psalm 119:130 KJV - The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

The entrance of God’s Word bring light and they give understanding. God’s Word is light and through God’s light, we will see through the darkness. He will illuminate the path before us, showing us the way.

Before committing to anything, whether a church ministry or simply a decision needing to be made in the home, stop and check in with God. Take time to go to your solitary place and pray about it. Ask Him for direction and wisdom in your decision making. And in regard to your priorities, lay as it were, a blank to do list out for the Lord to fill in with His priorities. Let His Holy Spirit direct you.

A beautiful promise is found in the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

And another:

Proverbs 16:3 KJV - Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

As we seek His will and we dig into the Word of God, He will bring to mind various scriptures that have bearing on the situation we are dealing with. They help to clear up the questions in our hearts.

And not only does God use His Word, but He often impresses upon our hearts to seek Godly counsel from someone we trust and someone we know to be walking close to the Lord. What a blessing it is to have friends that will pray with us and help seek God’s will.

Sometimes God’s will comes like a lightning bolt and at other times it’s a slow stirring in our soul. Only this morning, I sat with a cup of tea, reading and studying for a few minutes. I began to pray about what God would have me do this busy Monday morning. I knew that I had a huge to do list in my mind, but I wasn’t sure if any or all of them were to be done today or not. I asked the Lord to show me. To prioritize my day for me. And then, with one brief phone call, I knew exactly what He would have me do. Something had come up and I needed to go and do that thing. That thing that wasn’t even on my list at all! That particular job was not even in my mind for today. I had a much different agenda I was about to lay before the Lord, but no, He had other ideas, and you know what?  Because I had asked Him to organize my day, I wasn’t frustrated with the way my day changed. I knew I was doing the will of my heavenly Father and all the to do’s on my list melted away into insignificance.

And no, I may not have gotten some of the things done today that I had originally planned, but I know that He made sure I had time to do the list He had for me.

I’m not sure why God put this on my heart to write today, but maybe you’re facing decisions right now that have you wondering which way to turn. Maybe you’re struggling with knowing God’s will. Maybe you’re questioning God’s direction. Maybe you’re doubting. Whatever it is that you’re dealing with, know and be assured that God will give you the wisdom you seek, if you ask Him. He longs for you to come before Him and cry out to Him. Pour your heart out before Him and seek His guidance. Don’t give up on Him. Get into His Word. Meditate on it. Pray over it. Seek counsel if you need to. Go to your solitary place and lay your burdens out before the Lord. His promises hold true.

The words to a beautiful old hymn come to mind:

Oh, what peace we often forfeit

Oh, what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer

He has the answers to all our questions. He knows how best to order our days. He can give us the direction we seek. He can help us not lose our way. He can lighten our path.

Psalm 36:9 KJV - For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

Take heart. Trust Him. Wait on Him. Listen to Him.

And then, obey Him and watch what He will do!