Directed by the God of the Universe - 11/5/09
By Amy Galea
I’d be the first to admit that I have a hopeless sense of direction. I’ve lived in Wollongong for about a year now and still I would struggle to direct you to many of the well- known sights in the Gong, let alone give you directions to your next class.
I read a book recently called ‘Guidance and the Voice of God,’ which had me musing over direction in life, as a Christian. It caused me to consider how God alone should be director of our lives and how we should be listening to him in every aspect of our decision-making.
The authors, Phillip Jensen and Tony Payne, are asking the questions: “What is God’s plan for us? How do we find it? How does he communicate it to us? How do we hear his voice? Is God concerned with the trivial details of life (such as what sort of car we buy), or is he only interested in the ‘big’ decisions like marriage and career? What if I should step outside God’s will for my life?”
The book is divided into three sections. Part One looks at God’s guidance of his people in the Bible, what are right and wrong responses to his guidance and some misunderstandings about this area. Part Two looks at the way in which God guides, and the relationship between his word and this world that we live in. And Part Three is made up of three case studies; church, work and marriage.
To be honest, questions did arise for me whilst reading this book. Questions such as: how can I know what God wants for my life, if he doesn’t specifically lay it out for me? Or, how do I know what God wants me to do in a situation where both options seem to be honoring him? And what about my future husband? Where is he? Is he a stud muffin? Who is he? Does he even exist? And what direction should I be taking in two seemingly ‘direction- less’ degrees such as my own? Should I wear my hair up or down today? Walk to uni, or ride the amazing free bus?
What I found was that I really should be asking questions more along the lines of, ‘in what ways can my entire life, from the thoughts in my head, to the places I go, to the things that I do and the people I relate to, glorify God and honour his name?’ Though this may seem all encompassing and non-specific, it affects everything - our motives, our relationships, everything.
In reading this book I was really encouraged to come back to God’s word, “The compass is his own word to us: the Bible. It may not tell us the detail of every rock to step over, or whether to climb the mountain or tunnel through it, but it will constantly and unerringly point us to what God wants for our lives. It will tell us what matters matter, and in what ways God wants us to lovingly obey him. It will also tell us, by implication, that some decisions (or aspects of decisions) are not matters of right and wrong, and that in these circumstances we can use the wisdom God has given us to make up our minds” And it is a matter of trusting God. Surely, the God who spoke the world into existence, who knows our inmost thoughts and desires and who offers us salvation through the brutal death of his Son, can be trusted with all we have.
While staying at a friend’s place for a few weeks early in the semester, I had three different people drop me home on three consecutive nights. Each time we got hopelessly lost, the first time I took my driver to the wrong suburb. But despite this I can know that the God of the universe, Creator and Sustainer of all things, works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. He wants us, as his people, to become more like his Son and we can be sure that “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” What more do we need?
Amy loves her housemates, long beach walks and coffee in the morning. She has considered (but decided against) purchasing a g.p.s in her wanderings around the streets of Wollongong.
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