“Your call will become clear as as your mind is transformed by the reading of Scripture and the internal work of God’s Spirit. The Lord never hides His will from us. In time, as you obey the call first to follow, your destiny will unfold before you. The difficulty will lie in keeping other concerns from diverting your attention.” ― Charles R. Swindoll
Have you ever found yourself at an impasse with God? You just can’t seem to shake this idea that the Lord is doing something in your life, and more specifically, what He has next for you. There is only one problem. He isn’t telling you.
So you hit your knees and ask God for direction much like an actor or actress looking for their next cue. You want what all Christians want: for God to lead you and to show you what you are supposed to do with your life. But sometimes it seems the cues are just not there.
As wonderful as it would be to see the whole picture before we get started, He usually leads us one step at a time after we get started. In Acts 20:22-23, Paul acts on a cue from the Holy Spirit. “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.” Proverbs 16:9 says “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
God cannot direct our steps unless we are stepping. God’s first call is to movement, with cues to follow. For example, God calls Abraham out of Ur to “go to a land I will show you.” Not exactly a complete screenplay with all the cues. So it can seem as if God is not particularly interested in providing us with the details of the journey to which He calls us. But, if He is leading us to do something, you can know He has a good reason for it. He sees and knows what you cannot see. But He will never leave us or forsake us. When we take a wrong turn, He is there to say “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.” (Isaiah 30:21) So if you are feeling paralyzed trying to make a major life decision, remember that whichever way you go, you have the Spirit. And He is everything. Go into every day and every decision mindful that your greatest need in life is not guidance from God, but Christ himself.
So look for the cues from the Holy Spirit. It may be a door opened or closed. It may be the power of His presence. It may be a still small voice. It may be a small cue that doesn’t help you understand the master plan. A cue that will not help tell you what He wants you to do with your entire life, but tells you where God is leading you today. And all those cues will lead you exactly where He wants you to go with your life.
Discussion questions:
- How sensitive are you to the Holy Spirit’s promptings? What things in your life can make you numb to such guidance?
- Are there any areas in your life where you are struggling to yield to the cues of the Holy Spirit? Why do you think it’s been a struggle?
- What can you do differently this week to be more receptive to God’s voice in your life?