Already, in this little series, we have recognised the need for guidance in our lives, and we have looked at some of the promises of guidance found in the Word of God, the Bible. I have sought to make clear that such guidance is, primarily, for those who seek to follow the will of God in their lives - but that even those who are "unbelievers" are often guided by Him, to bring about His will, even if they are not aware of the fact!
In this post, I want to look at some of the means by which this guidance is received. In what form does it come to me? The simple answer to that question is that it comes in many and various forms. It may be, for example, that guidance comes through circumstances.
I recall reading of a man who, as a boy, had wanted to be a soldier, following in the footsteps of his father, his grandfather, and his three older brothers. Nothing unusual in that, we might think! However, when the time came for him to receive a commission, "circumstances" led him to decline it. He died when only 37 years of age and, among his papers, was found this jotting: "If I had not met a certain person, I should not have changed my profession; if I had not known a certain lady, I should probably not have met this person; if that lady had not had a delicate daughter who was disturbed by the barking of my dog; if my dog had not barked that night; I should now have been in the dragoons, or fertilising the soil in India. Who can say that these things were not ordered?" And for those who would claim that it was just a series of "coincidences", may I add that, to the true follower of the Lord, that word is better spelled "God-incidents"?! Guidance through circumstances.
But guidance may also come through reason - or, a better description might be "common sense" (although as my afternoon Sunday-school teacher used to say: "The problem with 'common sense' is that it isn't very common!"). When I was a young student at Bible College in Glasgow, there were one or two dear souls who took "guidance" to an extreme. They would seek God's guidance as to which pair of socks they should wear; as to whether they should have porridge or cornflakes for breakfast; as to whether they should go swimming, or play football, on our recreation afternoon!
Now it may well be that the majority of were wrong - but I honestly couldn't see that such decisions required divine guidance! Not that I thought, or think, that my heavenly Father isn't interested in such matters, but because I believe that if He had intended for me to go to Him over such comparative trivia, he wouldn't have given me a thinking, reasoning mind in the first place! Nine times out of ten, my decision on socks was dependant on which pair were clean, and didn't require darning; my choice of sport depended on my personal ability - or lack thereof!; my menu was dictated by personal taste and enjoyment.
Of course, reason may also be employed in another sense. I may weigh up the pros and cons of a certain course of action, and find that God is guiding me simply by making one proposition more "reasonable" than another.
Circumstances; reason, or common-sense; and, tied in with the latter there is conscience - that still. small voice that speaks to my innermost being; that pricking of the mind that leads me to have, and know, an inner conviction that such and such a course of action is right - or wrong! Conscience, which is, I believe, for the true disciple of Jesus, the very prompting of God the Holy Spirit. As one friend of many years ago used to advise: "Follow your peace." If I have an inner peace about something, then there is a strong likelihood that it is right - and the opposite is equally true.
These three means of guidance may, of course, be experienced by the unbeliever just as much as by the follower of the Lord Jesus. However, there are three other means of guidance that are available only to His disciples. That is what, God willing, we shall look at next time.
Until then! 😄