God uses His Word, circumstances and other people to lead us when we prayerfully seek His will.
Women's Community Bible Study -
Have you ever wished that God would speak to you from a burning bush or in a blinding light, as He spoke to Moses and Paul? In the fifth of eight articles on knowing God’s will, teacher and Bible commentator Nancy McGuirk discusses four specific ways that God leads us: through prayer, His Word, circumstances and other people. She reminds readers that God is always ready to lovingly lead and guide us when we seek Him foremost in our lives.
Have you ever heard someone say that God “told” him or her to do a certain thing? Perhaps you thought, “I wonder what that person means? Isn’t that statement a bit presumptuous?”
I would never want to limit God, and would therefore hasten to say that it is certainly possible for God literally to talk to someone today. Yet I have found that most people who tell me that God told them to do a certain thing actually mean that they believe God led them in a particular direction. We read in Psalm 18:6 that God, who created us, did not leave us alone: “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help. He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.” In His magnificent love, God is constantly ready to reach us, lead us and guide us.
Many times we may think, “But why doesn’t God talk to me the way He talked to Moses or to Paul, in a burning bush or with a blinding light?” I believe Moses or Paul might answer that question by telling us, “You have something that we didn’t have—the Old and New Testaments.”
How does God lead us today? First, He leads us through His holy Word, the Bible. In Scripture we become acquainted with God’s ways and His thoughts. God’s Word is not a “how-to-do-it” manual, but a “who-to-know” book. When we as Believers open the Bible, the Holy Spirit brings us face to face with truth in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus never said, “I’ll show you the way.” Instead He said, “I am the Way.”
Second, God leads us through prayer. We often make the mistake of using prayer in the same way that we would use a charge card—attempting to get something from God. Our prayers, however, should never be motivated by a secret hope that God would adapt Himself to our requests. God intends us to utilize prayer, as a means to conform our hearts to His perfect will. Our heavenly Father has many riches to bestow upon us if we truly desire the things of God. We ought to be mindful of the fact that prayer is not only a time to talk to God, but also a time to listen to Him.
The third way that God leads us is through people. Just as God used the prophets and apostles in Bible days, He uses other Believers to provide us with guidance and insight today. We learn in Proverbs 11:14 that we should seek godly counsel from fellow Christians: “Where there is no guidance, the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory.” After we have prayed and searched the scriptures, the counsel of others can confirm the leading that we believe we have received from the Holy Spirit.
The final way that God leads us is through circumstances. God will often open or close a door in order to confirm a specific direction in which we should go. Yet we must always remember to view our circumstances through the eyes of Christ, our Lord, and in light of Scripture.
(See below for other related articles in this series.)
Nancy McGuirk - Bible commentator, small group facilitator, and intercessor - is the founder and director of the Women's Community Bible Study International. Nancy ministers to thousands of people each week in person and through a video and audio tape ministry. The focus of her work is evangelism, discipleship and intercessory prayer. For more articles by Nancy McGuirk, go to her website at Women’s Community Bible Study a Christianity.com ministry partner.
