The Progressive Guidance Of God

One of the wonderful things about the Christian life is that it is ever-changing. There are no boring days when we can wake up each day to serve a God whose mercies are “new every morning”. His guidance is constant and consistent…he’s the tour guide that never gets out ahead of you….the tour guide that makes it possible to understand Him as He is giving directions. Some time ago I went through a drive-thru fast food window with my pastor, Steve Allen in Nashville. We were getting some food and when the person came over the speaker to get my order, his language was muffled, distorted and foreign. I looked at Pastor Steve, he looked at me, we chuckled and then I put my hand partly over my mouth and began to give my order in that same garbled dialect. You could almost hear the frustration on the other end as they tried to figure out what I said! Aren’t you glad that God speaks to us in recognizable words and discernable thoughts?

Let’s look at Psalm 25:4,5 which speaks of the progressive, multi-level guidance of God.

Show….teach….lead…its dynamic, specific and purposeful. Think of it like this.

God will always give us glimpses of glory; quick snapshots into the future. Sometimes they come in dreams and visions, other times they are seen in pre-existing things. Ephesians 1:9 tells us that He will make known to us the mystery of His will. These flashes are used to ignite our passion; rekindle the fire within us and compel us to action. Show me Lord and I will follow…I need to see something! Stop letting your thoughts shape these images and start letting these images shape your thinking. Thank Him today for those glimpses of glory!

Once He has gained our attention and He’s got us looking He goes deeper. The word “teach” means to show the fundamentals or skills of something or to impart knowledge. In this season His plan is plan-ted in us. He provides to us through His Word a strategy for Success. Proverbs 24 says that through wisdom a house is built and it’s rooms are “filled” through knowledge. He also allows us to discern the consequences of ignoring this instruction. Many times we go through this “boot camp” process over and over until we get it right. There is a path that seems right to man but the end is death. It’s God’s path that we are looking for.

These first two steps deal with God speaking to us and preparing us for what lies ahead. We cannot move into the “leading” phase until we have responded to what He has already done. Once we begin to take steps towards what He has shown us and is teaching us, then He begins to lead us down the path that leads to fullness of joy and life everlasting.

So where do you want to go today? God’s purpose will always supercede our plans so the sooner we allow Him to take us through this guidance process the better. Are you ready for the ride?