God encourages us to pray for guidance.  When David prayed, God answered in very specific and amazingly clear ways.  David gave God credit for the good results.  The next time he prayed for guidance, God gave even more specific guidance.  The Lord answered David directly, possibly audibly or through a prophet.  It would be great if God were to provide such specific guidance for us when we prayed about a specific question.  I want His leading to be that clear every day.  But in our daily life, God’s answers may not be audible or so specific.  It may even seem that He is silent.  This does not mean that He is not guiding.  His Word, the Scriptures, provides guidance that we can rely upon each day.  Spiritual or moral questions can be compared to His clearly revealed will in Scripture.  The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to guide us.  If we want the Spirit’s guidance, it makes good sense to study His Word and listen to what it says.  

 

What about when the question is so specific to our unique situation that it is not possible to find exact guidance in His Word?  These are the situations that can so often cause confusion and frustration.  This is when we really need to wait on the Lord’s timing and guidance.  Several strategies seem to help me in these instances.  Praying for guidance is important, because God wants to reveal His will to us.  Seeking counsel from a fellow Christian who walks closely with the Lord is a wise thing to do.  If nothing about the decision is opposed to God’s revealed Word, God delights to give us the desire of our hearts (Ps. 37:4).  However, if we want something that is opposed to God’s Word, we are only fooling ourselves that it could be God’s will.  It can be very easy to persuade ourselves that what we want is what God wants for us, but if it does not pass the test of Scripture, it’s only deception.  David’s example helps me to want to seek the Lord’s guidance.  It’s an inspiration to pray and wait to hear from Him.  I hope that you will seek His will in the decisions you face today, taking what is so clearly communicated already in Scripture as your guide, waiting on Him to clarify the matter, and giving Him the credit when He answers.

 

A fellow traveler,

 

Bill