February 21

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” —PROVERBS 16:9

The guidance of God has been likened to driving a car and obeying the rules of the road. We stop at red lights, signal when turning, keep the speed limit and so on, but the problem is it becomes completely objective and without intervention from God at all. 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. It becomes totally subjective, and that which comes from within us must be measured by some objective criteria. 

So how do we get the rules of the road and the built-in spiritual GPS operating together? In the heart of every Christian, God places desires and motivations that are like a compass, pulling us in a certain direction. The direction should always be in line with Scripture, and when that compass is persistent, encouraging us in the most logical direction, it’s likely time to make a move. We don’t need details mapped out, but it can be beneficial to make a list of both pros and cons in discerning what God has called us to do. 

In the course of time, one list will grow while the other diminishes. A good way to think of this is being on a night flight and sitting behind the pilot. The plane is coming in for a landing and we see about 200 lights, lighting the runway. The plane slowly turns towards the landing strip, and all the lights are beginning to line up and merge together. When the pilot is right on target, all we’ll see is one light on either side. That’s a good way for all the factors we’re considering to line up, one behind the other. One light, one direction. 

As Christians, we either move forward or backwards in our walk with God, but we do not remain stationary. We can’t sit around waiting for a green light. We have to keep on going in what seems the obvious direction, and if God needs to adjust it, He will. God will only guide a moving vehicle, and we have to be people who are moving forward, growing and developing in Christ. When we acknowledge God in all our ways, He has undertaken to guide us, and that comes out of a living, active relationship with Him. In fact, we can actually go for years without any conscious awareness of God’s guidance at all because we are on course. It isn’t the green light we have to watch out for, but the red light and in a way unique to each of us, God gets us back on track.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, for your guidance in everything You call me to do. I depend on it, and ask that you keep me alert to the red lights. 

TO REFLECT UPON: Where has God’s guidance brought me today?