Two old friends met one day after many years. One attended college and became very successful. The other did not attend college. He never had much ambition, yet he still seemed to be doing very well.
Curious as to why, the college graduate asked his friend, “How has everything been going with you?”
The less-educated, less ambitious man replied, “Well, one day, I opened my Bible at random, and dropped my finger on a page. The word under my finger was oil. So, I invested in oil, and boy, did the oil wells gush. Then I tried the same method again, and my finger stopped on the word gold. So, I invested in gold, and those mines really produced. Now, I'm as rich as Rockefeller.”
The successful, college graduate was so impressed that he rushed to his hotel, grabbed a Gideon Bible, flipped it open, and dropped his finger on a page. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his finger rested on the words, “Chapter Eleven.” (Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky; www.PreachingToday.com)
Uh oh! Perhaps, that’s not the guidance he was looking for. You know, it seems that a lot of people are in need of guidance in these days of uncertainty and turmoil.
So how do we get it? How do we get the kind of guidance we need? How do we discern what is best in our situation? How do we discover God’s good and perfect will every time we have a decision to make? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 24, Genesis 24, where we see an example how people of faith have received God’s guidance for nearly 4,000 years.
Genesis 24:1-4 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” (ESV)
Isaac is 40 years old, well past the time for him to get married, so Abraham sends his old, trusted servant to find Isaac a wife.
Genesis 24:5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” (ESV)
That’s a great question! Abraham’s relatives are 450 miles away, and there are very few women who would be willing to travel that far to marry someone they’ve never known or seen before. So if the woman won’t come to the man, Abraham’s servant wants to know, “Can I take the man to the woman?”
Genesis 24:6-9 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter. (ESV)
Abraham is insistent, “Do not take my son out of THIS land, which God promised to me and my descendants.” He asks his servant to swear an oath, and the matter is settled, but the question is, “Why is Abraham so insistent?” It’s because he has heard from God. God’s Word to Him was very clear: “I am giving your offspring THIS land, not the land where you came from, but THIS land.”
Abraham pays careful attention to God’s word, and that’s what we must do if we want God’s good guidance. Like Abraham, we must…
PAY ATTENTION TO GOD’S WORD.
We must listen to what God has already told us. We must operate within the bounds of Scripture.
You see, God has already spoken to us in this book, the Bible, and He will never lead us in a direction contrary to the principles He has already laid out right here in His Word. God doesn’t contradict Himself, so if we want to discern His will, all we have to do is open this Book.
A very popular story in our postmodern culture is about six blind men and the elephant. One blind man touches the side of the animal and thinks it's a wall. Another grabs the elephant's ear and thinks he's touching a fan. A third blind man touches the tail and thinks he's holding a rope. And on they go, each grabbing a part of the elephant without any one of them knowing the absolute truth.
That’s the way it is with every person, who has very limited knowledge. So says the postmodern philosopher. We cannot know absolute truth, only what is true for each of us. And that truth is different for every person. What is true for one may not be true for another. It all depends on each one’s limited perspective. Therefore, I shouldn’t judge another person for following a different truth, a different morality, than what I follow. After all, we’re all just groping in the dark, trying to follow whatever truth works best for each of us.
It’s a great analogy, except for two very major problems. First, the whole story assumes that Someone clearly knows the absolute truth about the elephant, that the elephant is indeed an elephant. Otherwise, the story doesn’t make any sense. And second, the story ignores the fact that the One with this knowledge has already communicated the truth about reality. He has told the blind men, “That wall-like structure is the side of an elephant. That “fan” is really an ear, and what seems to be a rope is the elephant’s tail. The problem comes only when the blind men ignore the absolute truth that has already been communicated. (Adapted from Kevin DeYoung, Taking God at His Word, Crossway, 2014, pp. 68-69; www.PreachingToday.com)
So it is when we ignore the absolute truth that God has already communicated to us in His Word. You see, God is the One who knows the absolute truth about life, and He has made that truth very clear in the Bible. All we need to do is pay attention if we don’t want to grope around blindly in the dark.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
When we lean on our own understanding, our paths are crooked and confusing. But when we lean on what the Lord has already told us in His Word, the path of our life ultimately makes sense. There’s a direction to it that takes on real meaning.
So do not ignore God’s Word if you want real guidance. Instead, pay attention to what God has already said in the Bible.
Let me just give a few clear examples.
1st, it is God’s will that you be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” If you have not yet turned from your sin, trusting Christ to save you from that sin, then God’s will is very clear here. He wants you to repent!
2nd, it is God’s will that you be Spirit-filled. Ephesians 5:17-18 says, “Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Again, God’s will is very clear. Don’t let alcohol control you. Instead, let God’s Spirit control you.
3rd, it is God’s will that you be sanctified. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “This is the will of God, your sanctification; that you abstain from sexual immorality.” If you’re wondering whether or not you should move in with your boyfriend or girlfriend before you get married, then you don’t have to wonder any longer. God has made it very clear! “Abstain from sexual immorality!”
4th, it is God’s will that you submit to the governing authorities. 1 Peter 2:13-15 says, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution… For this is the will of God.” Is there any doubt? God wants you to obey the laws of the land unless they go contrary to His higher law.
5th, it is God’s will that you suffer for His sake. 1 Peter 4:19 says, “Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” You see, when we seek to live our lives according to God’s ways, people will ridicule us for it. Some of us will suffer, but it’s better to suffer for doing what’s right than to suffer for doing what’s wrong.
The Bible couldn’t be more clear! It is God’s will that you be saved, that you be Spirit-filled, that you be sanctified, that you submit, and that you suffer for doing what’s right.
Do you want clear guidance in these difficult and confusing days? Then all you have to do is listen to what God has already said. First of all, pay attention to God’s Word. Then second, where His Word is not clear, get on your knees and…
PRAY.
Ask God for the guidance you need. Ask God to lead you in the way he wants you to go within the boundaries of His Word. That’s what Abraham’s servant did.
Genesis 24:10-14 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” (ESV)
Wow! Abraham’s servant is very specific in his prayer. He asks God for a girl that that would be willing to water all 10 of his camels after traveling 450 miles. That’s no small task. Camels drink a lot of water, and that would take a considerable amount of time and effort. But Abraham’s servant is looking for a particular kind of woman. He wants a wife for Isaac that’s not afraid of hard work, one that shows an amazing amount of persistence, and an unselfish love for others. Abraham’s servant is very specific in his prayer, and look at what God does in response.
Genesis 24:15-27 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the LORD had prospered his journey or not. When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD and said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” (ESV)
God led him in answer to a specific prayer, and God will do the same for us when we pray. When we ask, He will lead us in answer to our specific cries for help. James 1 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). God delights in giving us His wisdom when we don’t know what to do. All we have to do is ask Him for it!
One of Einstein’s neighbors was a 10-year-old girl who visited him quite often. Her mother asked her why, and the girl explained, “I had trouble with my homework in arithmetic. People said that at No. 112 there lives a very big mathematician, who is also a very good man. I asked him to help me. He was very willing, and explained everything very well. He said I should come whenever I find a problem too difficult.”
The mother was shocked at her daughter’s boldness, so she went next door to apologize. Einstein told her, “You don’t have to excuse yourself. I have learned more from the conversations with the child than she has from me.”
Einstein loved helping that little girl with her math. How much more our Heavenly Father loves helping us with life. He delights in guiding us! All we have to do is ask. He’ll put ideas in our heads, in accordance with His Word. He’ll arrange our circumstances. He’ll guide us through life every time we ask Him to.
Phil Callaway didn't know what to say when his young children asked if Mommy was going to die. His wife, Ramona, suffered horrible seizures.
Hundreds of friends and relatives prayed, but Ramona's weight eventually slipped to 90 pounds. Medical specialists tried everything, but by the fall of 1996, the seizures were occurring daily, sometimes hourly.
Phil rarely left Ramona's side. He wondered if she would even make it to her 30th birthday. One evening, when things looked utterly hopeless, Phil paced their dark back yard, then fell to his knees. “God!” he cried out. “I can't take it anymore. Please do something!”
Suddenly a doctor's name came to mind. Phil called the doctor, who saw Ramona the next morning and diagnosed a rare chemical deficiency.
Within a week, Ramona's seizures ended. Her eyes sparkled again. The miracle was so incredible, Phil says, “God gave me back my wife.” (Luis Palau, It's a God Thing, www.palau.org/godthing, www.PreachingToday.com)
Do you want clear guidance in these difficult and confusing days? Then, first of all, pay attention to God’s Word. Second, pray. And third, when God gives you that guidance…
OBEY HIM RIGHT AWAY.
Do what He tells you to do without delay.
That’s what Abraham’s servant does. He goes to Rebekah’s home, explains to her family all that has happened, and pays them the dowry provided by Abraham. Then when it comes time to leave, her family wants to detain them. Skip down to verse 55
Genesis 24:55-61 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him!” Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way. (ESV
He wastes no time in bringing Rebekah to her new home. He obeys God immediately, and that’s what we must do if we want to continue receiving guidance from the Lord.
Ken Davis, one of my favorite Christian comedians, tells the story about a Christian who got on an empty city bus, walked to rear, and sat down. “Lord, he prayed, if you want me to speak to someone about you, please give me a sign.”
At the next stop another passenger boarded the bus, went all the way to the back, and sat down right next to the Christian. The passenger asked, “Do you know anything about Jesus?”
The Christian excused himself for a moment, slowly bowed his head, and prayed once again, “Lord, if you really want me to talk to this stranger, I need just one more sign. Please turn the bus driver into an armadillo.”
Tell me: Have you been praying for armadillos? Have you been waiting for a sign from God you really hope never comes before you get serious about following him? (Clare De Graaf, The 10-Second Rule, Howard Books, 2013, page 51; www.Preaching Today.com)
You see, when God’s will is very clear, we don’t need to keep asking for signs; we just need to do what He has led us to do. Get serious about following Christ. Otherwise, don’t expect Him to give you any more guidance.
Do you want clear guidance in these difficult and confusing days? Then 1st, pay attention to God’s Word. 2nd, pray. 3rd, obey. Then...
EXPERIENCE GOD’S PEACE.
Then know the comfort of living in his will. That’s what happened in Abraham’s family.
Genesis 24:62-67 Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (ESV)
Literally, he “breathed deeply” after his mother’s death. It was as if Isaac heaved a great sigh of relief and could relax again.
Isaac found peace in God’s will, and that’s what will happen to us in God’s will, as well. Like Isaac, we will find ourselves “breathing deeply” in the comfort of His way. That’s not to say that life will be easy. But we will be at peace when we know we are where God wants us to be, doing what God wants us to do.
Kumar, a Christian in South India, was grieved because none of the 13 people he had invited came to watch a Billy Graham evangelistic broadcast at his home on December 23rd. He began to pray, and around 9 p.m. he felt God compelling him to invite his wife's sister's family to watch the next night's broadcast. Immediately he set about to contact them.
It wasn't easy. His sister-in-law's family had no phone, so Kumar had to call their neighbor and plead with him to go and bring them to the phone for an urgent message. When his brother-in-law, Satish, reached the phone, Kumar asked him and his family to catch a bus to his city as soon as possible. Satish said he had no money. Kumar encouraged him to borrow the money and said that he would reimburse Satish for the tickets.
Satish consented, and at 4 a.m. he and his family boarded a bus for the long trip to Kumar's house. They arrived at 5 p.m., and an hour later they watched the My Hope telecast from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Afterward, Kumar gave his testimony and asked if the others wanted to put their faith in Christ. They were all looking at one another, and Kumar wondered what they were thinking. Then Satish, noticeably distressed, stood and explained that he had lost his job because the tea factory that he worked for had closed. Further, the company was demanding that the family vacate their company-owned house. Seeing no hope, the family had decided that on December 25 they were all going to commit suicide.
Now they saw that through Jesus there is hope, and they prayed with Kumar to accept Christ. Satish said he felt like a new man, and, after staying several more days with Kumar, the family returned home ready to face the future with Christ. (Bob Paulson, “My Hope: India,” Decision, March 2006, p. 10-11; www.PreachingToday.com)
You too can be ready to face any future with Christ if you just let Him guide you.
Do you want clear guidance in these difficult and confusing days? Then pay attention to God’s Word. Pray for His guidance. Obey what He tells you to do, and experience His peace in any circumstance.
In his book, Resolving Everyday Conflict, Ken Sande tells about a blind woman who resisted the repeated warnings of her loyal and protective guide dog:
One day during his morning run he noticed a blind woman walking on the other side of the street with her Seeing Eye dog, a beautiful golden retriever. As Ken was about to pass them, he noticed a car blocking a driveway a few paces ahead of them. At that moment the dog paused and gently pressed his shoulder against the woman's leg, signaling her to turn aside so they could get around the car.
No doubt, she normally followed her dog’s lead, but that day she didn't seem to trust him. She had probably walked this route many times before and knew this was not the normal place to make a turn. Whatever the cause, she wouldn't move to the side and instead gave him the signal to move ahead. He again pressed his shoulder against her leg, trying to guide her on a safe path. She angrily ordered [the dog] to go forward. When he again declined, her temper flared.
Ken Sande was about to speak up… when the dog once more put his shoulder gently against her leg. Sure enough, she kicked him… And then she impulsively stepped forward – and bumped square into a car. Reaching out to feel the shape in front of her, she immediately realized what had happened. Dropping to her knees, she threw her arms around the dog, and spoke sobbing words into his ear. (Ken Sande, Resolving Everyday Conflict, Baker Books, 2011, pp. 99-100; www.PreachingToday.com)
Oh my dear friends, if you want to keep from bumping into life’s obstacles, then pay attention to the nudging of God’s Spirit. Follow His lead, and find your way safely in this dark and confusing world.
