Let God Lead You
As a kid, I can’t remember being bothered about the route to a destination or setting any goal or agenda for myself. I had to follow my parents wherever they led me. I just had to show up, and they’ll do the rest. I depended on them for daily guidance and always trusted their judgment. As an adult, you’ll always find yourself making plans; sometimes, they fail. We make informed calculations and projections, yet we get unexpected outcomes that sometimes challenge our knowledge, understanding, expertise and skill. So the question I’d like you to think about today is, “Do I let God lead me?”
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness. For His name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3, NKJV (emphasis added)
One of the profound lessons I have learned about God’s leadership is “For His name’s sake”. God’s leadership is an expression of His character of kindness and love. His leadership is not for any reason other than the expression of His goodness, ability and character. Simply put, His leadership is for His reputation. His reputation certainly does not require protection, but it’s a reminder of who He is. When you think about His leadership from this perspective, you can see why nothing is impossible with Him. Letting God lead you is an opportunity for you to have a first-hand experience of His character. He leads us in the paths of righteousness. His leadership is not blind leadership; it is a leadership that knows right from wrong and good from bad. He knows how to choose the right path for us. To fully enjoy His leadership, we must follow and trust Him like a child follows, depends and trusts in their parents.
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. Psalm 25:9, ESV
Submitting to God’s leadership requires a childlike humility. It is a posture that demonstrates your willingness to give up your autonomy for His leadership. When God leads, He also teaches us His way. We become accustomed to His way through His command, by discernment and His instructions embedded in Scripture.
When we let God lead, we become joyful because we no longer bear the burden of the journey. We do not become responsible for the outcome. We become free from the mental and emotional stress of trying to lead ourselves. You experience true freedom in letting God take the lead.
For instance, when you board an aircraft, you fully trust that the pilots are well trained and know the route to your destination. Even though you don’t know how to fly a plane or the air route to your destination, you trust the pilot. You relinquish control of your safety and comfort to someone you trust. If you become worried about the safety and success of the flight, you will not enjoy the flight; you will be apprehensive until the plane lands. Driving is not pleasant when you have a passenger who thinks they know the road or how to drive better than you. Fighting with God for the wheel of your life never ends in a pleasant outcome. You may end up in a crash.
Some of us go through life in a perpetual state of anxiety and worry. We think that being in control guarantees our safety and success. For instance, many of us are used to taking over things from our partners, friends and colleagues when they do not go the way we expect. We always have a mental map of how things should go. However, walking with God is different. You can’t “take over” from God. To do so means you are most likely walking in disobedience.
In the book of Joshua 3, the Israelites set out to cross the Jordan River. They were instructed to follow the ark of the covenant of the Lord from a distance of about 900 meters. They had to walk behind it. Remember that the ark represents God’s presence. By walking behind the ark, they demonstrated the will to be led. The benefit was that the ark showed them which way to go since they had never travelled that path before (Joshua 3:4). This passage encapsulates what it means to be led by God. But more importantly, what it means to be an obedient follower. A man led by God takes the back seat and follows God patiently.
We are bound to travel unknown paths, and the only guarantee that we will be okay is letting God lead us. We won’t always understand His leadership, and sometimes it won’t make sense. Still, it is better to follow God’s “senseless” leadership than man’s intellectual leadership. You might be in an overwhelming and confusing situation as you read this now. It could be a sign that you have exhausted your strength. Why don’t you try God’s strength and leadership? Remember that He will lead you “for His name’s sake”. He puts His reputation on the line each time and will do it over again.
Resolve in your heart to let God lead you, and follow it up with a prayer of surrender to Him. Then, dedicate time to the study of His Word and the Holy Spirit will guide and direct your path. For the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23).
Photo credit: ©istockphoto/Arthit_Longwilai
Wow! This really resonated. Great insight and excellent writing.
“Some of us go through life in a perpetual state of anxiety and worry. We think that being in control guarantees our safety and success. For instance, many of us are used to taking over things from our partners, friends and colleagues when they do not go the way we expect. We always have a mental map of how things should go.”
God bless you. I was led here after reading the devotional on trusting in God. A great reminder of God’s love for us, that He will guide us not because of what we do or have done but for His name’s sake. Amen
Thank you Susan.
Powerful. Thank you.
Thank you for reading.
Thank you for this wonderful article, I was thoroughly blessed! God bless you
Thank you for reading.