What is God saying?

I think it’s a given that none of us has life all figured out. We are often grasping at straws trying to connect the dots and fix the square pegs in a round hole(or however the saying goes).

Recently, I was in a shuttling quagmire (please forgive my English, not sure what’s going on). I had some group work and as the leader I was supposed to inform the group on how to proceed. I really didn’t know what to do but also didn’t want to seem unserious (its amazing how much time we spend imagining what other people will think or are thinking of us…or is that just me?)

Back for the story…?

So here I was, trying to come up with good ideas. I finally went to my awesome father(I mean, God) for help.

Later that evening, I got some thoughts around the work. I sensed it was the Holy Spirit. I then decided to share my thoughts with the team and ask what they felt we should do. Before I called the team, I felt a resistance within, but I ignored it. It seemed like I was over thinking everything. While speaking to one of them, I sensed the same resistance that I wasn’t supposed to ask their opinion on this particular task. Imagine my surprise. After all, we live in a democracy we often hear that every voice matters.

I still went ahead to hear the team member out. And even called another team member. Imagine that!

Of course, the same thing happened but I ignored it. It didn’t make sense that the Holy Spirit would stop me from asking for people’s opinion. Later on that evening, I was reading through 1 Kings 13 and I came across the story of the prophet who God had told not to eat in a city but was influenced by another prophet and God sent a lion to maul him to death for his disobedience.

What a story, right? Suffice to say, I felt there was a lesson for me here and I was certainly worried. Not about being mauled to death, thank God. But of being disobedient. The story was clearly different from what I got but there were some incontrovertible facts:

• God does not run a democracy. I hope this doesn’t come off the wrong way(or maybe it does, and that’s okay). It’s a good thing that God is not subject to the majority rule. Or the will and caprices of man. He is GOD!
• God can speak to us through others but when we are not sure we need to go back to him. He is the source. When I got that resistance in my spirit, I should have gone back to God for confirmation.
• We need to stop being scared of men. I have seen time and again in my life and in the lives of those around me that we are often preoccupied with how we are perceived. We end up changing so much of who we are to fit an unattainable ‘ideal’. God is calling us to focus on his words and His ways.
• The most important thing at every point in time and for as long as we are on earth is to know ‘what God is saying…’

There is a running joke amongst some of my friends that my favorite statement is “what is God saying?” The first time they teased me, I became self conscious and tried to stop saying it. But later on I realised that there was absolutely nothing wrong with that statement. These days, I thank God for this constant reminder to always ask and seek to know what he is saying or doing around me.

I don’t always get it right as you would have noted from my earlier story but it has been an incredible journey seeking after God and learning to live a true and surrendered life.

What about you? What do you do when you don’t know what to do?

The journey to Him

We are all on a personal journey.

A journey we can never fully share with another human being no matter how close they are to us. But one we can share with God for he is there every step of the way, even before we were born and gained consciousness.

If that doesn’t speak of his love not sure what can.

Nonetheless, our unique experiences call to question what matters to us and who is leading us.

For me, I had to learn, yet again, that my true leader is God and he has given me the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of his word and ways, at each point.

He will not force us but he wants us to choose him every time.

We have to know God to know what he is saying. This will entail stripping off the layers of religion, doctrines, our penchant for Judeo-Christianity(as my friend calls it), our sanctimonious living and just allow God arrest our hearts and our lives.

Every day is a reminder to seek after God.

Just the other day, I was reading about David and Saul and I was once again struck by David’s heart and how he honored God, even in deep persecution. David had many chances to kill Saul but each time he knew he couldn’t do such a thing to God’s anointed one.

This came from a place of knowing. In human terms, David would have been justified if he killed Saul. Here’s what David’s men said to him:

“”Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe. But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.””
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭24:4-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you catch that?

David men whispered to him…in a soft manner, they told something that sounded right, just, and normal. They even quoted God!

And we have those moments. His men probably meant well but thank God David did not subject his will and life to the words of his men.

David was not working according to human ways but God’s ways.

I pray that God will lead every one of us in all we do. Even in those moments when we turn away our eyes and our limbs, may he turn us back to himself.

I would love to know how you navigate this area of your life. Do you usually seek to know what God is saying?

Please share…