Connecting the Dots: What God Is Doing When Life Doesn't Make Senseနမူနာ

The Guide

We’re never asked to walk the journey alone. In every great story, a guide appears to show the way. Frodo had Gandalf. Neo had Trinity in the Matrix. Luke had Obi-Won. The hero pursues the journey, but he or she isn’t asked to go it alone.

Our guide in every circle and season of life is the Holy Spirit.

Right before Jesus left the earth, he told his disciples there was a lot more truth he wanted to show them. (John 16:12) But he essentially says, “You can’t handle the truth!” Not all at once, at least. Jesus was ultimate truth in human form, and we’re still constantly learning the depth of the truth he taught. Since we couldn’t handle all the truth at once, he promised the Holy Spirit to guide us in truth on the journey.

The Holy Spirit is our constant companion in each season of life.

I lead hikes around the world with my organization called Summit Leaders. On long hikes, I always have several local expert guides with us. One guide takes the lead in front of the team. Another stays in the middle. Another comes behind the last hiker. Then I alternate between front and back. Essentially, on any given hike, we always have 3.5 guides (I’m the 0.5). When you’ve got 3.5 voices helping along the way, it’s a whole lot easier for the team to get where they need to go.

I’ve seen the Holy Spirit, our Guide, consistently and reliably communicate using 3.5 specific sources of revelation:

1. The Word:
God’s word is the gold standard for guidance. God will never ask us to do anything that contradicts what is written in the Bible. The Bible holds the truth we need for the journey, and it unveils that truth in layers. That’s why you can read the Bible your entire life and constantly find new ways God’s truth applies to your life. Just because you can’t understand something in the Bible doesn’t mean it’s not true—it just means you aren’t ready for that truth yet. So keep pressing into the Bible and let it guide you.

2. People:
It’s been said that the only thing that will change you are the books you read and the people you meet. God will often use people to help clarify direction and give insight in seasons of life. We should always run any advice we get from people through the filter of the Bible. But, very often, when we're in life-giving relationships and community God will use those people to help confirm the direction he is giving. He’ll also use books and teaching by people to help give insight you need on your journey.

3. The Inner Voice:
"Listening to your heart" can be very dangerous. The prophet Jeremiah talked about how our hearts are deceitful and can lead us astray. (Jeremiah 17:9) So just listening to your “heart” is a bad idea. We’re masters at lying to ourselves. But here's a paradox of the faith: Our inner voice can lie to us, but God speaks through His Spirit within us -- an inner voice.

When you come into relationship with Christ, his Spirit actually comes and lives in you. How does that all work, exactly? I wish I could explain it, but that’s way above my theological pay grade. It’s a mystery. But the Spirit of God within will actually speak to you and give guidance. His voice comes as a “gentle whisper.”(1 Kings 19:12) So you’ll have to quiet your mind and your own desires to hear it—but God promises He will speak through a quiet voice within you.

3.5 Circumstances:
This last one is the 0.5, because it should only be used to confirm what the first three are saying. God will often speak through circumstances, but circumstances alone aren’t a good indicator of what action you should take. Sometimes circumstances line up well. Sometimes you have to move ahead in spite of circumstances that are far from ideal. Circumstances are a poor basis for making decisions, but often they will confirm what we should do.

If you’re seeking first the Kingdom of God, the Guide is leading you even when He seems quiet or isn’t giving as much clarity as you want. If you aren’t hearing anything, do the last thing He told you. He’ll make your next step clear. Then make the decision to move forward – which is what we’ll talk about next.