God's "Go To" Guidance Series

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Out of the mouth of babes?” It comes from the truth that sometimes it takes a child to reveal lasting wisdom.

For example:

· Patrick, age 10, said, “Never trust a dog to watch your food.”

· Michael, 14, said, “When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don’t answer him.” Also “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.”

· Randy, 9 years of age said, “Stay away from prunes.”

· Kyoyo, age 9, said, “Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the

same time.”

· Naomi, 15 said, “If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.”

· Lauren, age 9 said, “Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.”

· Joel, 10 years old, said, “Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat.”

· Eileen, age 8 said, “Never try to baptize a cat.” Perhaps that’s what God had in mind when he said a little child shall lead them.

These are kids who at an early age have experienced events in life that have given them wisdom. And they have used this wisdom to give them guidance. Today we are going to discover how to obtain God’s guidance.

People will try to find God’s guidance in many areas. “As I was seeking God last night about a big decision I have to make, I saw a falling star and knew he was saying ‘Yes’”. No, you saw a meteor.

Or “I was asking God to send me a solution to a problem and I bumped into a certain person. I now know that this person is the answer to my problem.” No, you simply bumped into someone.

People look for guidance from God in their horoscopes and fortune cookies. It would be nice for some people to open a fortune cookie and it say, “Stop trying to find your fortune in a cookie and go seek God!”

Then there are the random Bible openings. People put their finger on the page, looking at whatever it says there for guidance.

But what if when they open their eyes they see “Judas went out and hung himself.” That can’t be right. So let’s try again. Close your eyes open the Bible and read, “Go do it quickly.” That type of guidance will get you killed.

God’s guidance can be found in the scriptures that we will be looking at today. Proverbs 3:5-6

“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.”

First, we must have confidence in the Lord. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” Trust means to rely on him.

An elderly man was desperately ill and knew he would be dying soon. He called his three closest friends to be by his bedside.

One was a doctor, another a pastor and another a businessman.

He began by telling them, “You three are the only ones that I can be confident will follow my wishes. I know we have been taught that you can’t take it with you but I fear that if we are mistaken I will be poor in the afterlife. Therefore, I give each of you an envelope containing $100,000 in cash. When I die please put these envelopes in my coat pocket just before they close the coffin.” They all agreed to do so.

Soon the man died. Each gathered at the coffin for one last good-by and secretly placed the envelopes in his pocket. Then together they closed the lid.

Following the service, while these friends were visiting with each other, the doctor, with tears in his eyes, said, “Guys, I have a confession to make. You know with the cost of medicine today, I don’t make that much money. The hospital is desperate for funds. We can’t even replace the CAT scan machine that’s broken down. So, I took $20,000 for the new CAT scan and put the rest in the coffin.”

The pastor suddenly broke down weeping. He said, “I, too, have a confession to make. As you know, our church is seriously overburdened by the needs of the homeless. I couldn’t just see burying that money. So, in hopes of helping the homeless, I took $50,000 out of the envelope and put the rest in his pocket.”

Looking sternly at the doctor and the pastor, the businessman exclaimed, “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I am astonished and deeply disappointed that you would treat a solemn trust so casually. He was our friend. I want you to know that I placed in his casket my personal check for the full $100,000.”

Unlike these three we put can our confidence in God that He will accomplish what his word says. We can rely on him.