How blessed is the man...in whose heart are the highways to Zion!

Psalm 84:5

As followers of Jesus, it seems obvious that we are led. Following implies movement, and the existence of a leader. We can be led into new locations, new jobs, new relationships, new circumstances, and new ways of trusting God. When I think of being led, I think of the Apostle Paul's vision of a man of Macedonia saying, "Come over here and help us" (Acts 16:9). That's the way we would like it to work. We think God should give us the desire for the change, and provide clear and encouraging road signs along the way.

But then I also have to remember that Paul was "led" in a number of other ways. He was persecuted and run out of town (Acts 13:50). He fled for his life when he learned of a plot to mistreat and stone him (Acts 14:5). He was stoned and left for dead at another place (Acts 14:19). After being beaten and imprisoned unlawfully, he was escorted out of another town by the embarrassed authorities (Acts 16:37-39). He left another town after a riot broke out over his teaching (Acts 17:5-9). He left Jerusalem with a full military escort because the Jews had plotted to kill him (Acts 23:20-24). And though he had a long-standing desire to preach the gospel at Rome, and did eventually wind up there, it was only after much delay, imprisonment, and a very dangerous sea voyage (Acts 19:21, 24:27, 27:14-44).

It's not much different here and now. I was led to Mansfield by being asked to work as a secretary in a ministry center. And it was confirmed in my heart that this was not just a man asking me to work for him, but was God asking me if I would serve Him full time. That's the way I like it to work. But I also know people who moved to a new location because of a lost job, or a house that burned down. I know people who have moved to new jobs, not because they wanted to or were moving up the corporate ladder, but because their old job was done away with or someone complained about them. People are led into new relationships through both positive and negative means. Kids go to college, and meet people who become their spouses. Personal conflicts that result in much heartache can also lead us into new relationships. I know people who have experienced new circumstances, not always positive ones - illness, accidents, and disability. I personally have been thrust into new circumstances and their attendant new ways of trusting God, through an eight-year stint of infertility and a year's battle with cancer.

All these are instances of being led. To be led of the Lord is not always the positive experience we imagine. Quite often it is the onset of hardship that gives us our first hint of God's desire to move us in a new direction or to a new level of faith. In fact, Jesus specifically told Peter that when he was old, he would be led where he did not want to go (John 21:18).

It's great when we have a desire, and God confirms it and leads us into something new. We know we have been led. But when life takes one of those unexpected sharp turns, we're not so sure. A cell phone company had ads a while back that showed a man in a variety of strange places saying into his cell phone, "Can you hear me now?" Perhaps we should think of our hardships as God's way of saying, "Can you trust me now?" To be led means that we do not get to choose where we go. We know the ultimate destination, but the route may be circuitous and beset with obstacles. As we navigate the twists and turns of life, may we trust our Leader, Jesus, and keep our final destination in view.

© J.H.Nichols 2008

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