Guidance

If I had my way, the Lord would make His will for my life perfectly clear by sending me regular postcards, postmarked "Heaven", and signed G-O-D, with a list of bullet-points that I could easily understand, and readily obey.

Sadly, although He has given the promise "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise and watch over you" (Psalm 32:8) that isn't the way in which God provides that guidance. He seems to expect that I will actively seek His will for my life. But the guidance is there, and it comes in a number of ways.

Often, it is simply through circumstances. How often I am able to look back over a series of events - one leading directly to another - that I could not possibly have arranged or anticipated; and that have brought me to a particular point in my life, or to a particular experience. Who is to say that such situations were not ordered by God Himself?!

Sometimes guidance comes through reason or, perhaps better, common sense. That may not seem very spiritual to some, but if we believe (as I do) that Almighty God created every aspect of our beings, then why should He not use the faculty of reason with which He has endowed me. There have been times when I have simply, but prayerfully, weighed up the "pros and cons" in a situation in order to determine the best course of action.

Tied in with reason is conscience. Of course,I'm not referring to some sort of Walt Disney created "Jiminy Cricket". I believe that, for the disciple of Jesus, conscience may be the prompting of God the Holy Spirit.

Of course, these means of guidance may be experienced, to some extent, by anyone - Christian or non-Christian. There are, however, three other means of guidance that are available only to the child of God.

First of all, there is prayer. My former minister, and spiritual mentor, the late Rev George B. Duncan, used to speak of bringing every moment, and every matter, to the Lord in prayer. And as I pray about a particular situation, how often the answer, the guidance, comes even as I pray.

Then, of course, there is the written Word of God - the Bible. If it is, indeed, His word, then I will hear Him speak to me through it. Not by lifting down a dusty copy, flicking through its pages,and stabbing my finger at some random verse; but by reading it daily, and getting to know it intimately. And I may always be certain that if anything contradicts the teaching of the Bible, then it most certainly is not God's will!

Finally, there is the Christian fellowship. Often I have found that simply talking a matter through with a mature and trusted Christian friend, has brought clarity. Bringing some matter to the prayer meeting, or the Home Group, and having Christian brothers and sisters pary it through with me, has enabled a wider perspective to be brought to the particular situation.

Guidance! So very necessary if I am not going to make a complete fool of myself; and available from a loving God Who has a perfect plan and purpose for my life. May you, too, dear reader, know His plan and purpose for your life; and thus bring glory and honour to His Name.