written by: Carissa Waggoner
Have you ever prayed for direction? Have you ever felt a little lost or just not sure where to go and where to begin? I think we have all been at that place, you know, looking out over the vastness, not sure where you want to go.
I find myself looking to God’s word for direction instead of looking for a billboard lit up, flashing a wonderful revelation. Although that would be simpler, there would be no true testing of our faith.
Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
This verse is when God was reassuring the Israelites while they were still in Babylonian captivity. Some think it was a prophecy of the forthcoming captivity. Either way, God loves His children and is great at reassuring us when we need it most. Here God is talking to Jacob, otherwise known as Israel. I notice one thing in the verse above: God doesn’t say, “wait a moment.” He wants you to walk so that He can walk with you. He doesn’t even send you on a detour around the water, the river, and the flames. He sends you right through them.
What He does do is promise that He will be with you and protect you.
I highly recommend reading chapters 42 and 43, which are two of my favorite chapters in the New Testament. These verses are full of redemption and forgiveness.
Genesis 12:1
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
In the call of Abraham. God tells Abraham to leave everything and go. Go where? Go to the land that God WILL show him. God didn’t give Abraham a map. There was no GPS. Abraham didn’t even know where he was going.
Hebrew 11:8
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
God did tell Abraham of all the ways He wanted to bless him. So what did Abraham do? You got it! He just went. He did as the Lord told him to do. He obeyed and had faith. He packed up his family, all the possessions they had and off they went.
We like to know where we are going. Seldom do we get in our car and just drive, not knowing where we are going. We are planners; we plan what we will wear. We plan for rain, wind, and temperature. We bring along drinks and snacks. We plug in the address we are going to in the GPS, and off we go.
Abraham didn’t have an address. God didn’t even say how far it was. He obeyed God by taking the first small step. God didn’t point out the waters, rivers, and steep mountains they would travel, because it didn’t matter. God was with them.
When we are facing a point in our lives where we want to do God’s will. We want to head in the direction that pleases Him. We want to serve God in making a Kingdom impact. We just stand there, not knowing where to go. We pray for directions. We pray for leadership. We pray for God’s voice. We pray for a sign, anything. Nothing comes. We say, “We are just waiting on God to tell me what to do.” Sometimes that is the actual case, God does things in His own timing.
I think He wants to lead us, but if we are not in a walking motion, He isn’t given the opportunity by our faith in Him to say turn here or go there. He will not give us the whole map. He wants our faith and our trust. You can’t drive a car that is in park. You have to put it in drive and start to go before you can steer it.
I know a great laugh right now is if we all broke into song about “Jesus Take the Wheel.” But as much as that song has been spoofed, it is correct.
God does speak to us through His Holy Spirit as we are walking. It may be a very small whisper. It may be a word mentioned by a godly friend. Our direction may come through affirmation by events and happenings around us. God controls the details around us. If we take a step to the left, He will place a boulder in front of us, so we will turn right. He may even take us to a dead end just to turn us around to go in a different direction.
The results are up to God; all we have to do is step, listen, and be very intentional about noticing things around us. We are to be guarded as well. As we walk with Jesus, the enemy will try to confuse us or distract us.
By God’s wisdom, the Holy Spirit, and reading God’s Word, we will have a plumb line in which to follow.
Acts 13:2-3
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
The Holy Spirit speaks to them as they worship and fast. Here we are again: the Holy Spirit calls, and off Barnabus and Saul/Paul go. We see the Holy Spirit speaking to them as they worship and fast. Even in this moment, they are not just merely waiting. They are actively praising and worshiping the Lord.
If we are not willing to step forward, we could miss His plan for us entirely. We may feel fear or doubt when taking our first step. We may not know where the Holy Spirit will take us. Will it be something we like to do? Will it harm us? What will we have to sacrifice? The insecurity, are we good enough? What if we are not ready? People may think we’ve lost our minds. There are so many reasons that the enemy will throw at us to keep us back from serving God.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
God was with everyone whom He called.
You see in our obedience, in our faithfulness, in our sacrifices, God receives the Glory, because in our weakness He is our strength. If you do not step out in faith, you don’t give God a chance to show up and shine. It keeps others from seeing how faithful He is in your life. God will still be glorified in ways, but through your life, will you bring Him glory through obedience? What a good testimony you can share with others, and your life would show as you bring God glory by taking a small step.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, we are so thankful that you want to bless us. We are thankful that you keep your promises. When we are in a season in our lives where we don’t know what to do, may we look to you, worship, fast, and pray. May we remember that you are with us. You are the giver of faith. May we receive the faith to take that first step and, despite our fears, be courageous. We want you to be glorified, we want to serve you, we want to do your will, even if it means sacrifice. Forgive us, Lord, if there have been times we have not stepped forward. May you still set us apart to be called. To go where you will send us. To speak to that person you have laid on our heart. We have laid down our lives because you laid down yours. Remind us that we are not here to serve ourselves but to step out in thankfulness and service to our perfect Father, who loves us so much. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Becoming His 
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