In His Word 8-23-10

"Do you know where you’re going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you?"


That is an old song from my high school days but it has been on my heart lately. I decided to think on it as it made me think about God and his people. Did they know where they were going? Even when David was anointed, he did not know where God was taking him. He did not know where he was going to. But God did.

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 1 Samuel 16:11-12
Samuel went to anoint the next king chosen by God. Jesse thought it would be a powerful man. Samuel probably thought so too, but God had other plans. He chose the smallest son, the one who thought he would be a shepherd of lambs was to be the shepherd of men!

Paul thought he was supposed to go and fight against the Christians but God had other plans. Paul became a leader of the very men and women he had planned to persecute! We rise up in the morning ready for the day, but do we really know where we are going if we do not ask God for guidance? We can’t know what He has planned for us unless we ask him.

Seek and you shall find. Ask and it shall be given to you. Knock and it will be opened to you. It does not say for us to walk along doing our own thing and taking what we want. God’s word gives us guidance and direction for each day, each year of our lives. Where are we going?

When I was a child I had a dream of having my own ranch. As I grew it became a horse camp for kids who could not afford it. As I grew even more it became a mixture of a horse camp, outreach/retreat center, and bed and breakfast. I do not even own land, nor do I have any relatives who would leave it to me. Yet the Lord has given me the dream and the promise that I will inherit the land. So what do I do? Do I wait around every day for Him to plop in on my lap? No! I go out and do whatever work the Father has put before me, while waiting for the day when His promise comes to life. I work in the field with the sheep waiting for the day when God is going to call me up.

One day while David was keeping the sheep King Saul called him up to play music for him. Then there was another time David did not know where he was going, not really. He walked into the camp bringing food to his brothers and suddenly he became a hero! God directed his path. In the same way, He will direct ours.

We may not know what we are walking into, but God does. Life is like a puzzle and only God has the picture on the top of the box. God wants us to know what His plans are for us and we need to be prepared to step up to His calling. But how can we do this if we do not first have a relationship with Him? I don’t just mean asking Him into our heart and life, but also let Him into our our days and our lives. We may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. We need to look to God daily for direction. We need to ask Him to show us and to guide us on the way. Most important, we need to take the time, make the time, to talk with Him and read His word every day.

So what can we do to make sure that we are ready for whatever we have to walk through today?

  • Get in the Word
  • Get into Prayer
  • Get to know God personally
  • Walk in His Spirit.
When we are busy in prayer and the Word we can’t help but walk in the Spirit. When we are walking in the Spirit we can know that we are going the right way. When we go the wrong way our spirit gives us a little check and we feel not so good. Then we know to walk the right way. We have to listen for it though, to know where we are going today.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to listen to your heart's desire for us today. Show us in your Word what to watch for and who to listen to. Shelter us from harm's way. Help us to walk where you would want us to walk today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Suggested readings: Psalm 94:1-23;1 Samuel 16:1-23; Acts 9:1-43; Acts 26:1-32.