Light and Direction
"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee…" (Isaiah 60:1). The Messianic promise of antiquity is a good promise upon which to hang today’s thoughts. Even as Christ came to His own to give them light and direction in the Bible days, He is just as surely prepared, willing and able to give light and direction to any who will sincerely come to Him for guidance today. "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).
One of the methods God used for giving His people direction was by the “Urim and Thummim.” Urimim is a Hebrew word meaning “lights” and Thummim is a Hebrew word meaning, “perfection.” Together the meaning is “perfect light.” The Urim and Thummim were stones worn upon the breastplate of the high priest and through a configuration and/or illumination the will of God could be ascertained. No one knows for sure how these wonder objects worked in the Old Testament, but the main point is that God was vitally interested in giving His children “perfect light.” "And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually" (Exodus 28:30).
How may I know what God wants me to do? Have you ever inquired this of the Lord? The God who loves you has a plan as big as the sky for you. So, let’s “tie our wagon to the Bright and Morning Star” and seek His direction. God will give you light and direction as you:
I. Saturate your mind with God’s Word.
"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple" (Psalm 119:130). Sometimes we hear this piece of advice when we have tried and failed to put something together without any help, i.e., “When all else fails, read the instructions.” We laugh at this rather trivial statement, but have you noticed when it comes to important things, following the instructions is a meticulously followed procedure? When a young army paratrooper is preparing for his first jump, he never haphazardly folds and tucks his parachute. As a matter of fact, the soldiers check each other to make sure they have packed their chutes according to instructions. Doctors perform operations, pilots fly planes, and contractors build buildings, all according to instructions.
Finding the will of God is not a matter of “winging it.” The promise of illumination from and through the Word of God is granted to every one of God’s children who conscientiously read the instructions in the Bible.
II. Commit your ways to God’s way.
"Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday" (Psalm 37:5, 6). The word for “commit” is “galal” (Hebrew) which means to roll; roll together; to be rolled; to roll oneself. The idea is to get everything you are about rolled together, then roll it over to the Lord and trust Him for the outcome. According to Psalm 37: 5 and 6, after we have committed all we are to Christ, He will make the way we should go as clear as the mid-day sun in an azure blue sky. "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6).
III. Abandon your will to God, no matter what the reward or consequences.
Young Ruth had lost her husband and was in a fragile state of mind when she sensed the call of God on her life to go to a land in which she had never lived. She was going to be with a people she had never known and now be involved in a system of worship totally different than anything she had ever witnessed. She had not yet met Boaz, her future husband who, with her, would be part of the most magnificent plan in the universe in carrying the genealogical DNA of the Messiah. She did not hesitate, for she had fallen in love with the true and living God and she was determined to follow Him wherever He would lead. "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" (Ruth 1:16).
There is a beautiful story I read many years ago that I would like to share with you to illustrate this important point. As I recall, a young lady and young man had become pen pals during World War II. They had not seen each other during the war. He would share his accomplishments as well as his disappointments and fears. She would share her everyday world in which she lived, to give him a taste of home. Through the months of correspondence a bond developed. There was only one test the young lady needed to know if it could possibly be real love that was in the making. She needed to know had he fallen for her as she really was on the inside or was he living in hopes of winning only a face attached to a body.
They were to meet face to face for the first time at Grand Central Station in Washington D.C. He was going to be one of thousands of young servicemen and she would be one of thousands of young ladies meeting their beaus or husbands. How would they know? The agreement was that she would be wearing a basic blue suit with one yellow rose pinned to her lapel. If after seeing her, he wanted to pursue the relationship he was to approach her with a yellow rose and present it to her. After walking through the designated area both were familiar with, if she received no rose, she would keep walking and they would both go on with their lives separately. The day came. The returning soldier boy was as nervous as could be, but even though timid by nature, he was driven with a love that had developed, sight unseen. He came walking through the designated area and sat down on a bench where his vision would be unobstructed. From the end of the long hallway, although it was crowded, he spotted a lady wearing a blue suit with a yellow rose. He thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest. As she approached, he was surprised. First of all, she was much older looking than he had imagined, her hair was nothing like he had thought it would be, her face, the very epitome of plainness. He hesitated, but soon bolted, with a smile and gentlemanly manners, introduced himself and asked if her name was (and then called her by the name of the girl he had fallen for in the letters). The older and very kind lady said, “No, but she is right over there and she told me if you approached me she would be waiting for you over there.” The most graceful and beautiful female, the young soldier had ever laid eyes upon met him half-way. She sweetly smiled, called him by name and said, “I hope you are not upset with me; this was the only way I could know if what you felt was real. Now I know you care for me for who I really am.”
God is saving the full understanding of His will for those who love Him for who He is, not for those who feign affection for Him based upon a pre-conceived idea of what they can “get out of Him.” "For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me..." (John 16:27). These are the ones who enjoy His light and direction!
- Pastor Pope -