"LEAD ME” (HOW TO LET GOD LEAD)
Psalm 37:5
November 12, 2000
Dr. Bruce D. Weaver
Resistance To Leadership
Today we continue in series we have been going through “HOW TO PUT DARE IN YOUR PRAYER.” Specifically, we will consider the prayer, “LEAD ME,” which allows us to figure out HOW TO LET GOD LEAD.
The first thing we want to do is to reckon with the part of our human nature which drives us to resist leadership. This manifests itself in our relationships with people, let alone with God.
The theme song from the popular television show “Malcolm In The Middle” includes the words, “You’re not the boss of me now…and you’re not so big.” And while we may not all sing this song or use these exact words, we all find ourselves having the attitude expressed in these words and we find ourselves acting on such attitudes.
As I share this observation, I do so with a view just as much toward myself as it is toward anyone else. During my teenage years I caused my parents unnecessary grief in many ways and I had to be reminded by my parents more than once, “As long as you live in this house…” As I have grown older, by God’s grace I have grown to recognize and to appreciate the role of other people providing leadership in my life, but I would be kidding myself and I would be misleading you to to say that I do not wrestle with what it means to resist leadership.
Before we wrap up our consideration of resistance to leadership, I want to share with you a story about Jesus which may surprise some of you, because it demonstrates that even in Jesus’ experience it was not necessarily easy to let God lead. On the night Jesus was betrayed, he prayed to God, ”Father, if you will, please don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup.” Luke 22:42a Jesus genuinely wrestled with the difficulty of the task which had been set before him. But then he continued in prayer, ”But do what you want, and not what I want.” Luke 22:42b
So the next time you struggle to pray, “Lead me,” I encourage you to remember it is not an easy prayer to pray. It wasn’t easy for Jesus and it is not easy for us. It is a prayer which requires dare - to go deeper in your relationship with God - to walk more closely with God.
God As Leader
In the film "The Prince Of Egypt," we see the story of Moses portrayed. Moses dared to pray the “Lead me” prayer, but as we observed last Sunday, Moses struggled to allow God to move him beyond his comfort zone. Nevertheless, to the extent that Moses dared to pray, “Lead me,” and then dared to respond to God’s leading, awesome things happened both in his life and in the lives of the people he was called to lead.
Our theme verse for the service today is from Psalm 37:5 - “Let the Lord lead you and trust him to help.” This verse is pretty straightforward in its encouragement for us to let God lead.
And the principle upheld in Psalm 37:5 is lifted up throughout the New Testament as well. In Philippians 2:5-11, we read a wonderful summary of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. At the conclusion of this passage, we read, “everyone will openly agree ‘Jesus Christ is Lord.’” (Philippians 2:11) This was the proclamation of the early church, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” which in other words means, “Jesus Christ is Leader.” And if indeed Jesus Christ is Leader, then one of the most significant and daring prayers we can pray is, “Lead me.”
One Step At A Time
A song called “Step By Step,” written and recorded by Rich Mullins, expresses well the nature of the walk we can have with God, which is a journey with God leading one step at a time.
Recently I was driving down a road when one of my sons asked me if it was a weird feeling to drive when I could not see the road just ahead because of the upward angle of the road due to the hill. I told him that it is a strange feeling, but you get used to it the more you drive in such situations. You learn to trust that the people who built the road continued to build it on the other side beyond where you can see. And then I thought about how much our walk with God is like that. It can be a strange feeling to move ahead with God when we cannot see ahead very far, but just as I trust in the people who built the road, I can trust in God to see me through the roads of life.
While we are talking about travel, have you ever asked for directions and been given a response which was too detailed? My limited mental capacity can only handle so much, so after a person offers about the fourth or fifth part of the directions, I politely nod and begin to wonder how much further I will make it before I have to pull over and ask again for directions. So this part of praying, “Lead me” is not too difficult for me, but I know some people have a desire to know tremendous details regarding the future. Some even go so far as calling the psychic hotline!
The great challenge after we pray “Lead me,” is not to run ahead nor to lag behind God’s leading. Much easier said than done!
Following The Leader
Keith Green wrote and recorded a song, "So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt," which recounts in humorous fashion the story of the people Moses led out of Egypt and their subsequent mumbling and grumbling in the desert. His song and the bible story upon which it is based teach us many lessons, including the importance of:
LOOKING BEYOND THE PERSON TO GOD
Moses was a great leader, but God was the ultimate leader.
LOOKING BEYOND THE CIRCUMSTANCES TO THE PURPOSE
the temptation was for the Israelites to return to Egypt rather than to work through the difficulties of their journey.
As we consider what it means to walk with God and what it means to pray, “Lead me,” the words from the poem “Footprints In The Sand” inspire and challenge us.
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was
walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the
sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he
noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one
belonged to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He
noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed
that it happened at the very lowest and saddest
times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the
LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I decided
to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I
have noticed that during the most troublesome times
in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't
understand why when I needed you most you
would leave me."
The LORD replied, "My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you. During your
times of trial and suffering, when you see only one
set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
