Depending on God’s direction to reach our destination

I’m writing a big project right now for Christian women about how to move FORWARD through difficult seasons of life. In the very first chapter I write about stopping. Just stop. Take a beat. Take a breath. Wait.

This seems counterproductive. It is certainly counter-intuitive. It does not come naturally to humans to wait. We like to go our own way, with or without a plan, as long as we are moving, it appears we are in control.

But to truly move forward, we must be intentional, thoughtful. It requires humility to slow down, to stop, to admit we need guidance. To move forward implies a direction, and for there to be a direction, there must be a destination. So, the question is:

Where do you want to end up?

Once you’ve decided that, then you can ask yourself:

Where am I headed? Will the way I am headed get me to where I want to end up?

Consider the following:

We just need to be willing to follow, we don’t have to know the path, and we often don’t. We don’t set the pace. We may have our own ideas of the ending point, (our own goals), but ultimately it is God’s plan for us that will prevail.

We can rest in this. We do not have to set the goal, set the pace, or have the wisdom. He has provided all those things for us in himself. There is great relief in simply trusting him and following his lead.

One reason this is so difficult for us is that waiting or following often has a negative connotation. But being a follower does not mean that you are not also a leader. Waiting does not mean that you are unproductive or inefficient.

On the contrary, the height of wasted time, resources, and energy is forging ahead apart from Christ on the wrong path or with insufficient wisdom or strength. We can often find ourselves running in a wrong direction and wind up exhausted and lost.

Scripture is full of stories of regular people God called to miraculous things. Many of them underwent a long period of waiting before they were put into the positions that we most remember them for. We remember their stories because in the waiting they remained faithful, following God. Before moving forward, they learned how to follow. They walked by faith.

Lord, help us to wait on your leading in our lives. Grant us rest and peace as we follow you in all things. Give us wisdom to understand who you are, and who we are to you, so that we will serve you now, leaning on your strength and depending on your wisdom. We trust our future to you, wherever you place us, knowing that you will complete what you have started in each one of us. Amen.