Hearing His Voice #229

The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

Psalm 32:8-9

You’ve prayed for guidance and pursued the direction you thought you heard from God. But now you’ve encountered not only obstacles or delays—those can be overcome—but a firmly closed door. Apparently this wasn’t God’s direction after all. So you start back at square one and hope that God eventually leads you to the right path.

It happens all the time, doesn’t it? And it can be terribly frustrating. Yes, sometimes the process is just as important as the destination, and bouncing off of closed doors has a purpose. But sometimes the process makes us feel like nothing more than a pinball. We’re clueless about where we’re going; we just bounce from obstacle to obstacle until we land in the right place. And everything in us wants to cry out, “Lord, is this really what You mean by a relationship?” We crave a tangible conversation up front in which He tells us what to do, not an after-the-fact wondering where we went wrong.

Though it’s true that God often leads us simply by opening the right doors and closing the wrong ones—and that after-the-fact wondering can have a deep spiritual purpose—there are times when God also longs to communicate with us before we take the first step. He wants us to hear Him first, not butt our heads against a closed door later. There’s no shame in the latter—the Bible is filled with examples of people who started out in one direction and had to be redirected—and the key is to be responsive as we go. But God promises to lead us sometimes before we even start. He will guide, advise, and watch over every step.

Lord, neither You nor I want me to be like a senseless animal. I’m tired of bouncing from door to door. Please speak clearly and tell me which way to go. My heart’s desire is to hear what You say and respond to it.