God Has Led You Here … Exactly Where You Are
“And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things will I do, and I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16 (ASV)
I was talking with a friend this past week about a new position I’ve just started. As I described the role to him, I shared that everything I had done in my life led me to this very spot today. He nodded his head in agreement and said, “I can relate to that! I wouldn’t be in the place I am in professionally if it weren’t for God’s plan every step of the way. I knew he was there and guiding my steps for the last 15 years.”
After we parted, I paused and thought about how many years I had made decisions – important ones – without God’s guidance. For example, do we move to that city for a new opportunity? Do we start going to this church instead of that one? Do we move to this neighborhood? Should I accept this new job?
I realized there had been so many decisions I never prayed over and so many times I didn’t ask the Lord to lead me where His will can be done through me. Only during the last 10 years have I bowed my head in surrender to God’s will and prayed through those moments of discerning His guidance in my life. Basically, I’ve discovered that even when our plans don’t really work out like we might have hoped, God will use them all for our best in every circumstance.
The good news is that God will always take the puzzle pieces of our lives and make them work for our good when we place our trust in Him (Romans 8:28). I know this to be true from my own experiences, those of my husband, and from talking with my Godly friends. As I look back on all the times I didn’t turn to God for every decision, those decisions ALL worked towards a bigger plan I could never have understood, nor of which I could never have dreamed.
I moved to Austin over 20 years ago not realizing I was destined to embark on an entirely new career in ministry by starting a faith-based website and working in a leadership ministry for women. A place where we equip and empower women to be who they were created to be.
Let’s consider the story of Abraham from Genesis 12. God called him (he was still known as Abram at that time) to leave the land of his forefathers and take his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his possessions into an unknown land. Can you imagine how scary that must have been?
Yet because of his faithfulness, God made a covenant with him, saying that he would be the father of a great nation, renaming him Abraham and his wife Sarah (Genesis 17). God promised that if Abraham kept this covenant, he would give the entire land of Canaan as an everlasting possession for Abraham and his descendants.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and had no children together. Abraham asked God how Sarah could possibly become the “mother of nations,” from whom the “kings of peoples” would come. But God remained faithful even in Abraham’s moment of doubt, working His will and providing them a son named Isaac, the father of Israel.
What an amazing example of God working behind the scenes, leading Abraham exactly where He wanted Him to fulfill His great plan of creating a community of nations and a line that would ultimately lead to the birth of Jesus!
God is always working patiently for you and for me, just as He has worked since the days of Adam. He works to:
- Teach us to walk in our Faith as a light for those around us (Matthew 5:16)
- Reveal His will for us (2 Peter 3:9)
- Build our confidence in Him (Proverbs 14:26)
- Instill real Hope in our hearts (Romans 15:4)
So where are you today? Do you feel God has you exactly where he wants you?
Please know my friend, He is always working behind the scenes for our salvation. Even if we cannot see Him or hear Him, He is there. Ceaselessly working, no matter what we are feeling or doing in our lives.
Remember, God is faithful and true to His promises. He wants us to faithfully keep our eyes on Him, our hearts in prayer. He is working on an outcome for you that is sure to be a blessing, and He will walk beside you the entire way.
May God always guide your path.