Lists and the Light: Guidance Part 2
Lists, lists, and more lists... Check this, check that off.... I love writing lists. I might forget something. Might miss something if I don't see it all right in front of me. Unfortunately, I bring that fear and desire into the matter of seeking God's guidance. If only he would give me a list or a lightning bolt. What if I miss something? What if I don't understand what he is trying to tell me? What if I miss a key signal? This is the second of the fears that M. Blaine Smith lists in his book Knowing God's Will. One I have found myself fretting over sometimes--and can compensate by list-making and control tendencies.
Putting aside my lists for a moment, I look up to him--my Creator, my Indweller, my Paraclete, my Shepherd. Once again, fears subside as I look at him and his character. His light is better than any list. It dispels the darkness of fear, doubt. He is the Light that guides each footstep--and often no more than that. His light is powerful enough to be known to us.
He comforts us with the knowledge that he knows and has compassion on our finitude as humans: "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust" (Ps. 103:13-14). He knows we are but dust and he has patience with us. Unlike some puffed up professors with more hot-air in their chests than heart, he does not use words or ways far above us in order to keep us confused. His words and ways are far above us, but he knows what we can understand. Jesus himself became a man, and grew in knowledge and stature (Luke 2:52). So, too, the written Word of God is a loving condescension of God to make himself known.
He wants us to know him, and know him in our personal, daily matters. Hear his cry in Isaiah 65:1-2: "I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.' All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people..." This is his character. He does not show himself to us in a salvific manner and then all of a sudden change and hides his will from us. He may hide himself in a dark night of the soul; he may not give us all the information we want so we seek him, depend on him, or grow in our character. But he does not suddenly turn life into a random guessing game of "What am I thinking now?" He does not show himself just so we get into the kingdom and then not care about our personal daily lives. Whether we eat or drink, it is all for his glory. He reveals himself so we walk with him in all of our ways, in each and every moment, in everything in life.
Furthermore, he knows we are sinners, blinded, weak, and struggling. Jesus himself faced our temptations and the temptation to fear as a man. The Spirit searches our hearts and minds and knows our fears, but intercedes for us. He knows that our sin can impede our understanding of him. He knows we can sometimes desire our own will that we are not willing to listen to him--this is the crux. We need to become willing to do his will, whatever it is. Why will he throw pearls to the swine? Why will he give us his will when we aren't willing to do what that might be?
Yet, even here we are not alone. I have learned to pray, "Help me desire to do your will and not my own. Help me be willing to do whatever you call me to. Help give me the desire to please you." It is a prayer from Phil. 2:12-13, where God gives us even the desire to obey him, and from the psalms, particularly Psalm 51 where David prays for a willing spirit. It is a prayer from the cry of the father of the demon-possessed child: "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!" He is the one who opens eyes to the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ (1 Cor. 4:6), who unblinds us from Satan's traps (1 Cor. 4:4-6), who gives us a heart of flesh instead of stone (Ezek. 36:25-27), who sanctifies us (1 Thes. 5:23), who guards and keeps us (1 Cor. 1:8-9; Jude 24-25), etc.
When we know we are slow to understand, slow to be willing, we humble ourselves. He is powerful enough and so willing to guide those who seek him. Jesus, "full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure" (Luke 10:21). He is able to reveal his guidance to the foolish, weak, despised, and nothings (1 Cor. 1:27-29). He never condemned the disciples for their slowness of understanding, but had patience with them (e.g., Luke 24:25-27). How good is our Shepherd!!!
Finally, let us not forget he is the director. He is the one with the eternal plan. Our lives our not our own, we are bought with a price. Or, in Jeremiah's words (echoed by the proverbs as well): "I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not our own; it is not for man to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23). Each and every moment of ours is transformed in him--it is for his glory. He is zealous for his glory. As Smith writes, Jesus "is promises a shepherd's guidance, which means he'll take the full responsibility to see that we get where he wants us to go when we're open to his leading" (60). Our sin can bring us in various detours (although God is sufficient to protect us from our sins, see 1 Cor. 10:31, and where he keeps King Abimilech from sinning against Abraham and Sarah). But he will bring us to his purposes.
Praise be to our faithful Shepherd!!! Our light! who knows our finiteness, longs for us to know him, knows our sins and weaknesses, knows we are slow to understand, but is able and willing to overcome all that. He made himself into the form of a servant, humbled himself, so we would know him. He has given all so we may walk with him in every moment. The Light of the world has conquered our darkness: "It brings home the fact that God's guidance triumphs over human factors that we fear might annul it. And since we have spoken of his guidance in terms of a light unto our path, it is appropriate to say now that this light is absolutely reliable in its appearance. 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' God takes uncanny initiative to see that we have the light needed for the decision in front of us. We may be assured that he'll take the responsibility necessary to move us forward" (Smith, 55).
Putting aside my lists for a moment, I look up to him--my Creator, my Indweller, my Paraclete, my Shepherd. Once again, fears subside as I look at him and his character. His light is better than any list. It dispels the darkness of fear, doubt. He is the Light that guides each footstep--and often no more than that. His light is powerful enough to be known to us.
He comforts us with the knowledge that he knows and has compassion on our finitude as humans: "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust" (Ps. 103:13-14). He knows we are but dust and he has patience with us. Unlike some puffed up professors with more hot-air in their chests than heart, he does not use words or ways far above us in order to keep us confused. His words and ways are far above us, but he knows what we can understand. Jesus himself became a man, and grew in knowledge and stature (Luke 2:52). So, too, the written Word of God is a loving condescension of God to make himself known.
He wants us to know him, and know him in our personal, daily matters. Hear his cry in Isaiah 65:1-2: "I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.' All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people..." This is his character. He does not show himself to us in a salvific manner and then all of a sudden change and hides his will from us. He may hide himself in a dark night of the soul; he may not give us all the information we want so we seek him, depend on him, or grow in our character. But he does not suddenly turn life into a random guessing game of "What am I thinking now?" He does not show himself just so we get into the kingdom and then not care about our personal daily lives. Whether we eat or drink, it is all for his glory. He reveals himself so we walk with him in all of our ways, in each and every moment, in everything in life.
Furthermore, he knows we are sinners, blinded, weak, and struggling. Jesus himself faced our temptations and the temptation to fear as a man. The Spirit searches our hearts and minds and knows our fears, but intercedes for us. He knows that our sin can impede our understanding of him. He knows we can sometimes desire our own will that we are not willing to listen to him--this is the crux. We need to become willing to do his will, whatever it is. Why will he throw pearls to the swine? Why will he give us his will when we aren't willing to do what that might be?
Yet, even here we are not alone. I have learned to pray, "Help me desire to do your will and not my own. Help me be willing to do whatever you call me to. Help give me the desire to please you." It is a prayer from Phil. 2:12-13, where God gives us even the desire to obey him, and from the psalms, particularly Psalm 51 where David prays for a willing spirit. It is a prayer from the cry of the father of the demon-possessed child: "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!" He is the one who opens eyes to the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ (1 Cor. 4:6), who unblinds us from Satan's traps (1 Cor. 4:4-6), who gives us a heart of flesh instead of stone (Ezek. 36:25-27), who sanctifies us (1 Thes. 5:23), who guards and keeps us (1 Cor. 1:8-9; Jude 24-25), etc.
When we know we are slow to understand, slow to be willing, we humble ourselves. He is powerful enough and so willing to guide those who seek him. Jesus, "full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure" (Luke 10:21). He is able to reveal his guidance to the foolish, weak, despised, and nothings (1 Cor. 1:27-29). He never condemned the disciples for their slowness of understanding, but had patience with them (e.g., Luke 24:25-27). How good is our Shepherd!!!
Finally, let us not forget he is the director. He is the one with the eternal plan. Our lives our not our own, we are bought with a price. Or, in Jeremiah's words (echoed by the proverbs as well): "I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not our own; it is not for man to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23). Each and every moment of ours is transformed in him--it is for his glory. He is zealous for his glory. As Smith writes, Jesus "is promises a shepherd's guidance, which means he'll take the full responsibility to see that we get where he wants us to go when we're open to his leading" (60). Our sin can bring us in various detours (although God is sufficient to protect us from our sins, see 1 Cor. 10:31, and where he keeps King Abimilech from sinning against Abraham and Sarah). But he will bring us to his purposes.
Praise be to our faithful Shepherd!!! Our light! who knows our finiteness, longs for us to know him, knows our sins and weaknesses, knows we are slow to understand, but is able and willing to overcome all that. He made himself into the form of a servant, humbled himself, so we would know him. He has given all so we may walk with him in every moment. The Light of the world has conquered our darkness: "It brings home the fact that God's guidance triumphs over human factors that we fear might annul it. And since we have spoken of his guidance in terms of a light unto our path, it is appropriate to say now that this light is absolutely reliable in its appearance. 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' God takes uncanny initiative to see that we have the light needed for the decision in front of us. We may be assured that he'll take the responsibility necessary to move us forward" (Smith, 55).
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