Navigating Life When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going!

We thought it would last forever. But after 30 years of fruitful ministry at the same church, the horror of horrors occurred…it all collapsed under our feet! When the dust settled, we found ourselves adrift in a sea of unanswered questions. A month later, my wife and I spotted a bumper sticker that made us laugh…and cry at the same time. It read, “Boldly Going Nowhere!” With a nervous chuckle I remarked to Sheila, “Wow, does that describe us or what?” I quickly changed the subject, but I never forgot what I felt like at that moment. “O God,” my heart silently cried out, “How am I going to navigate life when I don’t know where I’m going?!”

Have you ever been there? Whether it’s a faltering economy, a failed marriage or the demise of the company that you thought would thrive forever, the question is the same… “Now What, Lord?” Here’s what I’ve discovered: You’re Never Lost if you Have Three Things:

1. The Voice of God Providentially Speaking into Your Heart. That’s all that Abraham had…the gently yet unmistakable voice of God reverberating within his heart (Gen. 12:1; Heb. 11:8). But that’s all it took! He packed up and started walking…“not knowing where he was going.”

2. A Promise from God for Your Future. This is the second thing Abraham had…a Promise from a God who creates Destinies (Gen. 15:1-5). Here’s a definition from the New Bible Dictionary you need to remember: “A promise is a word that goes forth into unfilled time. It reaches ahead of its speaker and its recipient, to mark an appointment between them in the future…Unlike men, God knows and commands the future.” (WOW…I wish I had come up with that definition!)

3. Faith to Obey God’s Voice and to Believe His Promises. And this was the third thing Abraham had. It’s called “Faith”…a powerful internal driving force that responds to God’s commands with instant obedience! God was so impressed with that kind of response that He credited it to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3)!

“Okay,” you might say, “That was Abraham back then and this is me now…bewildered, lost and not knowing what to do next.” Listen, my friend. God’s Voice, His Promises and Faith are timeless.

1. God still speaks to people’s hearts today. All you have to do is get quiet and still enough to hear. Don’t let the clamor of the world and your anxieties distract you from listening. Just one word from God, who declares the end from the beginning, and you’ll never be alone again.

2. God still gives individual promises today. God always includes promises when He speaks to your heart. Read that definition again. Write down what you believe He is promising you. Find confirmations in His Word and seek counsel from seasoned elders to make sure it’s from the Lord.

3. God still honors faith today. Then do what Abraham did…believe God and boldly walk in the direction He leads. Determine the steps you should take and pursue your Destiny with all diligence and confidence.

By the way…whatever happened to Dan and Sheila Rhodes? They heard God's Voice; they embraced His Promise and they're boldly going where God led them! And what you’re reading now is part of our amazing journey of faith. And this, my friend, can be your story as well.

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