Guided In Prayer

Guided in Prayer

Stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. . . . Tell the people to get moving! Exodus 14:13, 15

AFTER MOSES LED THE ISRAELITES out of their captivity in Egypt and down a very unexpected path to the edge of a sea, many began to complain. They thought they were hopelessly trapped, but Moses boldly told them to be still and watch God work. Two verses later, God told Moses to tell the people to go forward.

The more we think about each of those instructions—the commands to be still in faith and to move ahead in faith—the more we realize how biblical both of them are. God often tells his people they will not have to fight a battle because he will fight it for them; all they need to do is stand firm. And he often tells his people to go forward, press ahead, take some kind of action in faith and watch circumstances bend to his purposes. There are even plenty of situations that involve in-between instructions—Gideon paring his army down to a mere three hundred to go into battle in faith, or people marching around walls as though everything depended on their marching but then standing back to watch the walls crumble as though everything depended on God. If we’re looking for a formula for when faith involves standing still and when it involves advancing, we could get awfully confused.

That’s why it’s so important to be able to hear God’s voice or sense his leading when we pray. We can’t just rely on “the biblical approach” when several approaches are biblical. We have to learn to sense God’s timing and direction to follow the scriptural approach he wants us to take—to know when to keep praying, rest in what we’ve already prayed, press in for more faith, or trust that our faith is already sufficient. There are times to wait for God to work and times to pray, speak, and act on what we believe.

Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue, and we have to learn to listen. Ask God for that sensitivity, learn from him, and acquaint yourself with the movement of his Spirit. He will guide your learning and speak when you need to hear. Your prayers will align with his purposes in the moment.

Prayer is conversation with God.