Allowing God to Lead // Listen To His VoiceParaugs

Reading Lessons (How to Read the Map of Your Heart)

You feel like you knocked it out of the park—that what you did was pretty great. You are proud of yourself, excited that all that hard work paid off. All the sacrifice. All the overcoming of fear. You felt Me with you. I am thrilled that you are confident.

But let’s back up a bit now.

Do you remember asking Me to be in it from the beginning? Did you ask Me if this was a good idea—for you? For your heart? Did you ask Me what it is I have for you? What my plan is? Whether it is better to go forward, go back, or wait?

Did you ask Me? Did you allow yourself to wait?

Yes, I was with you. I am with you. And I am not shaming you now. I am not in that business. Rather, I am asking to be invited in a bit more. I love you. I love you. I love that we get to do this life together—and I have so much good for you. I don’t want you to miss it by taking a step, on your own, without looking around for My hand.

Sometimes, yes, I don’t give you the response you are hoping I would give you when you ask Me for direction. You ask, and it sounds like it is only silence in your heart that you hear. But spend time with Me; let Me show you a rhythm of looking for Me, listening for Me, so that you miss Me, miss My voice, My guidance, when you set off on your own, making decisions about life without desiring My involvement no matter what response. The point is asking Me, expecting Me—no matter what you hear or don’t hear back.

How, son, daughter, can I not be involved in your life? Again, I love you too much to not be involved. But being involved also means letting you choose whether or not to look for Me before setting off on the next adventure. Yes, I have told you how you have the map within you—I have placed within you all that you need to live a life of freedom and adventure and joy and love. But would you like help in reading the map? You have a guide, the Holy Spirit in you, who teaches you to read it aright. So are you asking for help, or are you deciphering life on your own?

Let’s try this now: take a deep breath. Grasp My hand. Look at My face. Look into My eyes. I equip you for more. Don’t shortchange this one life I’ve given you by not asking Me how I’ve written the map. Let’s start over. Let’s look at that map again.

Exercise:

The way is not easy. These lives of ours. The journey is hard. There are tough climbs and perilous descents. There are confusing treks through thick jungles and dark valleys. There are exhausting marches across arid deserts and bleak wastelands. There is dreariness and fatigue and loss. But there is adventure and majesty and wonder too. There are mountain tops and lush meadows and cool, nourishing streams and soft sands too.

We just need a map to find our way, and a guide.

But we have those. God’s written a map on each of our hearts. And while we’re free to choose how we spend the hours of our days—our work, our relationships—we never journey alone. Not anymore. We have a Father, our God. We have a King and companion, our Jesus. We have a guide and comforter with us always, our Holy Spirit. We have everything we could ever need to live life “to the full” (John 10:10 NIV).

We are free to go rogue, of course, and choose a path that is not God’s. Or, we can simply forget we have a map—or that we have a guide. God will not love us any less if we do. He never would. But losing our way is not what is best for us. It’s not what will make our hearts burn with life and love. Going rogue will never deliver the peace and joy, purpose and significance, excitement and adventure that we’re made for, that we so desire, that we go looking for in so many other places.

And, of course, if we ever do lose our way for a season, if we ever do get lost into the confusion of our culture, God will always be there to help us get back on the right track—if we let Him. We’re never too far gone. We can never get too far off track, too lost, that He cannot find us, rescue us, and get us going again. Walking with Him.

Will you pray with me?

Jesus, I confess—a lot of the time, I try to do life on my own, without your fathering, without Your companionship, without Your counsel. I confess my pride, my desire for control, my desire to lead in a direction all my own—and I confess that sometimes I simply forget you’re here with me. I get distracted by the world, by the things of the world, by the things going on around me, and I forget that I am never alone. I forget how much You love me.

But I want to change. Now. From here on.

I want to forget You less; I want to remember You more. I want to follow You. I want to let You lead. I want to trust You more in my daily choices—not just with the big questions and the big problems, but with the small ones too.

Help me to trust You more.

You are here. I know that. You are with me. I want to be present for You. Remembering You. Trusting You. Abiding with You, as You abide with me. That’s how I want to live. That’s the person I want to be, the person I’m committing to be.

Help me. Jesus, You are the way and the truth and the life. Teach me how to trust this map. Amen.