When teaching any one of your children to drive, you expect to see your life flash before your eyes, and you carry your will in your pocket. Little did I realize that on this day, I would find myself laughing hard enough to forget that my life was in the hands of my 16-year-old daughter.
It was a nice Nebraska day when I had Lindsay out for our driving lesson. We were approaching a four-way stop when I told her to make a right turn at the stop sign. Being the conscientious driver she was, she reached for the turn signal and suddenly stopped, looked at me, and asked the following worthy-of-Reader’s-Digest-publication question.
“How does the blinker know which way the car is turning?”
All I could do was laugh.
So, how do we know which way God is turning? Have you ever wondered how God leads us? What does it mean when people say they were “led by His Spirit?” How does this happen? “How come it never seems to happen to me,” you may ask?
Unfortunately, explaining to my 16-year-old daughter the inner working relationship between the blinker and the automobile is much easier than attempting to communicate how God leads us on this journey called life. Nevertheless, here goes …
Proverbs 3:5-7 says “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!” (MSG)
I love these verses in all their simplicity. If I truly believe God’s Word is complete, then as I meditate on them, I realize God’s key to understanding His direction is contained in the passage.
First, we are to trust God from the bottom of our heart. Is there any area of my life where I have a difficult time trusting God? If so, address it. Before we can move on, this point must be addressed. Second, He is with us. We don’t have to figure it out on our own. Next, we are called to listen to His voice in everything we do and everywhere we go. Do you position yourself to hear from God on a daily basis? Does God have permission to speak to you at any moment of the day? Have you positioned yourself to hear His voice?
Many of us will do this during a time of prayer or worship. But what about when you’re driving down the road, eating lunch at a restaurant, running errands, or sitting in your favorite chair reading the paper? Does God have permission to speak into our often-busy lives with His still small voice?
As we trust in Him, lean on Him and acknowledge Him, He directs our paths, or as the Message says, He will keep us on track. In other words, the blinker knows which direction the car is going … or something like that. You’ll have to ask my daughter for the full scope of her question.
Certainly easier said than done. Nonetheless, it’s a great way to start. As men of God, let’s do our best to be men led of God, for His purposes and ultimately for His glory!
Rod Whitlock is the student discipleship director of national youth ministries with the Assemblies of God. Overseeing student discipleship, Fine Arts and Bible Quiz, Rod also travels extensively, speaking at churches, camps, conventions, retreats and leadership events.
For the original article, visit men.ag.org.
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