Matthew 1:20
‘But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”‘
Joseph had decided to send Mary away quietly. Then he goes to bed and an angel appears to him in a dream and tells him to stay. This is of God. I love this as this is God guiding Joseph. I don’t believe I’ve had a dream, but Acts 2:17 says, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” He can guide that way.
Proverbs 3:5,6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Ask, trust and sometimes wait for Him and He will do it.
He opens and closes doors. Circumstances present themselves or they are eliminated. Acts 16:6-10 provide an example of how God directed Paul and his team, “They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; and passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately sought to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” I love it. The first two obstructions were probably closed doors. The last one was a vision. I haven’t had a vision, but I’ve had impressions or ideas.
How can we determine if an idea is from God. First it can’t be opposed in the bible. Pastor Buddy Owens shared this thought. “God, I think You may be guiding me here. I’m gonna do that. If it’s not of you stop me or show me.” I’ve since adopted that method. Of course there is no certainty that this is God. He is able though. This is the end of Proverbs 3:6, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”
If one trusts God for a guided life blessings await. My life has taken turns and gone in directions I wouldn’t have imagined. A lyric from Petra in their song, “The Road to Zion is in Your Heart” says, “Sometimes it’s good to look back down. We’ve come so far, gained such ground. But hope is not in where you’ve been, hopes in whose waiting at the end.”
Life in Christ is full of such joy and blessings. However, He is the greatest reward. He was the One who was in the garden, the one who chose Abraham to make a great nation, He sent Jesus to show the way and to pay the price, He sent His Spirit to call and fill us and to bring us home. It’s Him.
Lord, thank You for Your guidance. So many blessing have been there. There will be many more. Thank You. Thank You also for being the prize.