Laced With Grace – Christian Devotions

Which Way Is God’s Way?

By Susan September 5, 2018 Character, Devotion, Faith, Scripture

Last weekend, we rented a small beach cottage in one of our favorite places on earth – Ocean Grove NJ – a lovely Victorian seaside town dedicated to the Lord. Our cute cottage was located at the corner of Mt. Carmel Way and New York Ave.

 

The corner street sign provided a great lesson.

In the Bible, Mount Carmel is the spot the prophet Elijah chose to have his famous showdown with the prophets of Baal, the sight of the Lord’s great victory over those false prophets.

After the prophets of Baal were unable to call down fire from heaven, Elijah began to pray:

Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command.O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”

 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!  And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God.” 1 Kings 18:36-39

Here in present day, New York often symbolizes worldly pleasures and sinful desires. (Now don’t get me wrong, I live near NYC and visit it often. My daughter lives, teaches, and serves in ministry there. And, like the commercial, I love NY! But for this illustration, we’ll refer its darker side.)

We have a choice. Every day, we are offered a variety of choices – where to go and when – what to wear, eat, say – who to talk to – what to think. And with each choice, we have the tempter whispering in one ear, but God speaking from within to our heart.

If only we had a street sign showing us the ONE WAY to go!

Sometimes the choice is clear – one direction is from God and one clearly isn’t. And at those times, even if it’s the hard way, we are confident in what God’s will is.

But in many situations, there can be more than ONE right choice. And then what do you do? Do you look for a sign? Put out a fleece like Gideon?

God in His kindness and humor may give you a street sign or some other sign to lead you in the way you should go. But more likely, the answer will come to you through your relationship with Him. Not in the crisis prayer – but in the dailies when you learn to sense His leading.

After Elijah’s glorious moment in 1 Kings 18, he ran for the hills in fear of Jezebel. Hiding in a cave, he expected to hear from God in the windstorm, the earthquake, or the fire. But it was in a gentle whisper, a “still small voice,” that God spoke to him. Elijah was able to recognize the distinction. He knew which voice was God and which wasn’t – not because in his moment of decision he had a great revelation, but because in his day-to-day life, he spent time with God. So in the moment of decision, he was able to discern His voice.

And that’s how we need to learn to recognize God’s voice – in our daily reading of the Word, in our times of prayer – both specific set times or impromptu “visits” with God throughout the day, and in our conversations with godly men and women.

You may never have a Mount Carmel experience like Elijah, but you will surely encounter opportunities to choose between following the way of the Lord or the way of the world – and hopefully, you won’t need a street sign to tell you which way to choose!

 

 

 

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