By Chris WittsThursday 7 Nov 2024Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
I have conducted many funerals over the years since my commissioning and ordination as a Salvation Army officer in 1972. Some have been very sad with tragic stories. Others have been inspiring and peaceful.
I will always recall one for a beautiful lady aged 103 who died one Christmas Eve. She was ready, and went peacefully into the presence of Jesus. She died and went to Heaven. Nursing staff at the hospital were deeply moved by this wonderful person, whom I had known for about 40 years.
In preparing for her funeral, I discovered a written document she had prepared to tell her story when she had turned 100. She said, My life has been very fulfilling. I am amazed where God has led and protected me, and used me. It was an amazing statement, one that has impressed many people who knew her beauty and her calm ways. She was an inspiration to people of all ages. The younger generation was captivated by her love and care for them.
Is it really possible for anyone to say, God has led me? It’s a huge statement, and what does it mean anyway? Why doesn’t God make it easy and clear to me about my life?
I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work that way. God works in very mysterious ways. We have to be a bit adult about this.
Chris Rose writing in Reader’s Digest said:
As a real-estate agent, I spent six months showing homes to one couple. At last I found two that they liked, but they couldn’t decide which to buy. The wife and I returned to the second house, and she began wandering about for another look, while I waited upstairs.
Eventually, she told me that they would take the first home. I asked how she made her decision. “I was standing in the family room,” the woman explained, “and I asked God to give me a sign. Right then and there, a plane came zooming over on its flight path to the airport, and I knew that wasn’t the house for us.”
Someone bigger than us
That’s not what I’m talking about. God’s leading in our lives is different to that.
Our problem is that we think we know best. Why should I submit my life to God anyway? The theme song from the popular television show Malcolm In The Middle includes the words, “You’re not the boss of me now…and you’re not so big.” And while we may not all sing this song or use these exact words, we all find ourselves having the attitude expressed in these words and we find ourselves acting on such attitudes. But my 103-year-old friend did not see life like that. She prayed each day that someone bigger than her—her God—would lead and guide her.
Guidance for a Christian comes from our ongoing relationship with God. He wants us to know him. Being guided by him is a part of that relationship. Signs are temporary; a relationship is permanent. Signs can be misinterpreted, misread, or not seen at all. God wants to lead us each step of our journey, not just in the big issues of life. And he does that best by walking with us, being in relationship with us. If you accept Jesus as Saviour, this will become clearer.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
The 3 things you need to do
Often times we are too hasty to realise that God already set our path for us. We get so busy doing other things, we forget to check in with God and inquire about our path in life. In order to let God lead you to your path, you will need to do three things:
- Trust him to lead you. Let go of what you think you know, and let God do what he knows. Who else are you going to trust? God knows the beginning to the end.
- Do not try to understand your situations on your own. God thinks higher than we do as it’s written in Isaiah 55:9—so his ideas, visions, foresight and plans are not limited like ours. When we try to understand things on our own, we limit ourselves to our own understanding and thinking about a situation. However, God is not limited. In addition, we tend to base our understanding by what we see; God sees beyond the surface.
- Seek God’s will for your life. As Christians our purpose is to strive to be more like Christ. God instructs us to seek him first, as Matthew 6:33 (NIV) says: “But seek first his [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you as well.”
Seeking God first leads us to his will for our life. Seeking God’s will bring you to the correct destination. When you seek God, he’ll make sure you are where you need to be. As you apply these steps to your life, and let go and let God, you find yourself in the right path. So let go, and let God lead you to your path!