Years before, I was reading the Old Testament more for patterns and moral guidelines. I wanted to learn from their mistakes, and I would learn what to do and what not to do based on the patterns I saw. And to do that, I needed to learn certain principles. One such principle was “Be brave and fight for your country.” For example, when Jonathan, Saul’s son, went to battle with the Philistines alone, God gave him a great victory. He was certainly brave for his country, Israel, and God used him mightily.

But that particular principle did not stand long. When I read on in the Old Testament, there were times when God told the Israelite kings to surrender and join the enemy such as in the Book of Jeremiah! That didn’t sound very brave! And as I kept reading, I realized that there really is only one principle and not many as I supposed earlier. And that is to follow God’s directives no matter the cost. This means that sometimes the kings would have to retreat or even surrender. Other times, they would march on against the overwhelming odds. But whether they would surrender or march on would depend on God. They couldn’t simply do what they did the last time they were in a similar circumstance but follow a God who would lead each step of the way.

This makes sense since we are following a Person and not a moral guideline. This makes it easier and harder at the same time in that we have to be constantly vigilant in seeking God’s will which is difficult, but we don’t have to try to figure out the patterns and principles that might apply to all possible situations, which makes it easier.

Will all our future steps be clearly laid out by God? No. But the overarching principle is that we walk closely with God and strive to listen to His voice and then make a decision based on what we believe to be closest to the heart of God. Just remember that it’s a relationship and not a regulation or a pattern we are following.

God is alive, and He directs His children.

PH