How Does God Guide Us? Divine Guidance. Spiritual Guidance. Guidance by the Holy Spirit. How Does the Holy Spirit Guide Us?

How Does God Guide Us?

Section 2

by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts

Note: You may download this resource at no cost, for personal use or for use in a Christian ministry, as long as you are not publishing it for sale. All I ask is that you give credit where credit is due. For all other uses, please contact me at mark@markdroberts.com. Thank you.

Developing an Ear to Hear the Holy Spirit (Section A)
Part 15 of the series: How Does God Guide Us?
Posted for Monday, February 5, 2007

Occasionally the Holy Spirit almost shouts at us. But most of the time the Spirit deals with us as God did with Elijah: through whispering. This presents a irksome problem for us: How can we hear the Spirit's voice when our hearts are so overwhelmed by the cacophony of our busy lives and hearts?

When my children were young, I would often study in a MacDonald's Playplace. I'd read or tap away at my laptop computer while my kids would race through a maze of giant plastic tubes and slides. Invasive and syrupy Musak filled our favorite Playplace, though I could hardly hear it because of the competing racket from nearby video games. Babies were crying; toddlers were squealing; parents were shouting as they tried to get their children to come out of the play structure. It was noisy chaos.

Does your heart ever sound just like this MacDonald's Playplace? Have you ever sat down for a moment of quiet, only to notice that your mind keeps racing at breakneck speed? Do you ever try to hear the voice of the Spirit, only to be overwhelmed with dozens of other voices, including your own, and those of your parents, friends, colleagues, not to mention the culture? It's no wonder that we find it hard to hear the Spirit's voice, or that we mistakenly attribute some random thought to God. If we are going to be ready to hear the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit, then somehow we have to quiet our hearts and learn to focus upon God. For most of us, this is much easier said than done.

Several years ago I participated in my first silent retreat. My wife and I, along with some Christian friends, planned to spend a weekend in silence at Mt. Calvary, a secluded retreat center in the hills above Santa Barbara, California. When we arrived on Friday evening, our bedroom was stifling because the temperature had climbed into the 90s and the window had been shut. Cranking it open for some ventilation, we left for the start of the retreat. The leader explained the importance of keeping silent for two days, though warning us how difficult it might be when we first started. He had no idea how prophetic his words would be for me!
		Mt. Calvary Retreat Center

When Linda and I returned to our room, the temperature had dropped considerably, but in its place we found about a hundred ravenous mosquitoes. Following the rules of silence, we quietly divided our efforts at bug swatting until most of the little vampires had perished. In the process I received a dozen little red bites. For most people this would be an inconvenience, but for me it was a nightmare because I am allergic to bug bites. Soon my body was covered with quarter-sized welts that itched worse than anything I could remember. For hours I sat in agonizing, sleepless silence, trying not to scratch my bites, while occasionally jumping up to swat a remaining mosquito. I couldn't remember a more miserable, night. Finally, at about five in the morning, Linda awoke and took pity on me enough to break silence.

"Are you OK," she asked. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No," I replied. "I'm miserable. I itch like mad. I haven't slept one bit. And I can't even complain about it because of this crazy silence! But there's nothing you can do about it."

Finally exhaustion got the better of me and I was able to sleep a bit. By late morning I had recovered enough from my ordeal to take a walk into the woods–with plenty of insect repellent applied liberally to my body. Finding a tranquil spot by a stream, I sat down to be quiet before God. Yet, as I tried to be quiet, I still heard a hundred buzzing "mosquitoes," not real ones this time, but those that lived inside my head: the obnoxious buzzing of the things that filled my life, the demands, needs, ideas, hopes, fears, memories, disappointments, and dreams that controlled my life. These bugs couldn't be swatted. They began to quiet down only after many hours of solitude and prayer, during which I surrendered to God everything that buzzed within my heart. In retrospect, I think God stirred up those inner mosquitoes so I could relinquish them to him. In some small way I began to obey the command of God found in Habakkuk: "The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him" (Hab 2:20).

Although my initial attempt at disciplined silence began with such great frustration, it turned out to be an exceptionally quiet moment in my otherwise noisy life. I began to discover why so many spiritually mature Christians set aside regular times for extended silence and solitude, and resolved to do so more myself.

As you read this, you may be thinking: "Well, that sounds great. But you're a pastor. You can make time for this sort of thing. I can't imagine getting away for a weekend of silence, or even for a half-day. What would you suggest for somebody like me?"

I'll respond to this question in my next post.

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Developing an Ear to Hear the Holy Spirit (Section B)
Part 16 of the series: How Does God Guide Us?
Posted for Tuesday, February 6, 2007

In my last post I talked about how important it is to quiet our hearts if we're to receive guidance through the Holy Spirit. I suggested that literal silence, such as what we might experience on a silent retreat, helps promote internal silence. But how is this helpful to ordinary folks, to people who can't easily make time to get away for a silent retreat?

First, in my experience I am able to make time for that which I value. Whether it's a favorite TV show, exercise, or hanging out with my family, I am disciplined enough in the use of my calendar to make sure I do the important things, in addition to my work. I think this is true for most people, even extraordinary busy ones. Indeed, there may be short seasons of life when it's almost impossible for you to get alone with God for a while–like when you're a new mom with a tiny baby–but most of us can set aside at least an hour for quiet if we truly want to. The question is: Do we truly want to do this?

Silence can be scary, especially for those of us who aren't used to it. We can be afraid that silence will be boring. Or we may be afraid that in silence we'll have to deal with hard things in our life that we'd rather avoid. For example, when I spend quiet time with God, I'm often reminded of things I have done wrong. God brings these to mind so that I may confess them and be forgiven, and so that I may talk with Him about how I can do better in the future. But the experience of remembering forgotten sins isn't particularly pleasant. Many of us fill our lives with noise because we don't want to face our fears, our hurts, or our disappointments, in addition to our sins.

If you find yourself resistant to the whole notion of being quiet with God, I'd encourage you to talk about this with a trusted Christian brother or sister. Perhaps your first efforts at silence can be shared with this person, who will be there to support you in prayer and other ways.

Second, I think many of us don't take time to be alone with God because we set the bar too high at first. We might read about saints who spends days in silence, and decided to imitate them. But when we try, our efforts quickly fail. Most of us need to begin more humbly and realistically, not with days of solitude and silence, but with minutes or hours.

I recently encouraged members of my church family to set aside at least one hour at least once a month for solitude. More is fine. But one hour once a month is a great start. I recommended that folks go to a place that fosters silence, perhaps a secluded park or beach, or maybe a quiet retreat center. Personally, I find it difficult to be quiet and alone when I'm at home or work. Others might have more discipline and focus than I do, but it seems that most people are helped when they're in a place that fosters quiet fellowship with God. Moreover, I'd urge you to work with your natural inclinations, not against them. For example, I know people who can pray for long periods of time when sitting or kneeling. I'm not one of these people. Yet if I'm walking, and especially if I'm walking in a place where I can pray out loud, then I can go for longer stretches. Similarly, some people are helped to pray by going to a church sanctuary. I, on the other hand, find nature to be my best "sanctuary." The beauty of the natural world reminds my of the beauty of God, and helps me to sense God's presence.
		One of my favorite places to go for solitude, silence, and prayer.

For most of my life I prayed either out loud or silently. Then, about eight years ago, I began to write out my prayers in a journal. I discovered that the practice of journaling helped me to focus, both on what I wanted to say to the Lord and on what He wanted to say to me. Of course I don't journal when I'm walking! But many of my non-ambulatory prayer sessions now involve writing. This may or may not be helpful to you. If you haven't tried journaling before, you may want to give it a shot.

To sum up, here's what I'm saying in this blog post:

1. If you value solitude and silence, you'll find a way to get it into your calendar.

2. If the whole idea of silence is scary, find a partner with whom to share your hesitations and your experiences.

3. Be realistic in your expectations. Commit to spending one hour in solitude once a month. More is fine, but start with what you can manage.

4. Work with your natural inclinations, not against them.

5. Try writing out your prayers in a journal.

As with every facet of the Christian life, learning to discern the voice of the Spirit is something we should do as a committed member of Christian community. Certainly times of solitude are essential, but not a lifetime of separation from our spiritual family. A healthy Christian community will help you listen to the whisper of the Spirit, discern which voices are really from God, and speak in a way that doesn't trivialize spiritual guidance by turning everything into a word from the Lord.

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Divine Guidance and Spiritual Direction
Part 17 of the series: How Does God Guide Us?
Posted for Wednesday, February 7, 2007

For most Protestant and/or evangelical Christians, the phrase "spiritual direction" is an unfamiliar one. And the title of "spiritual director" conveys very little. In fact, those who lack understanding of what a spiritual director does might in fact be apt to misunderstand the role because of what the term "director" conveys. We might picture a spiritual director as somebody who "directs" our spiritual lives, giving orders, telling us what to do, and so on. We might even envision the kind of authoritarian discipleship that was popular while I was in college. But this is not what spiritual direction is all about.

Folks in the Catholic and higher-church Anglican tradition would be much more familiar with the notion of spiritual direction, whether or not they have personally experienced it. In fact, I became most familiar with the whole idea of spiritual direction through the novels of Susan Howatch. In her Church of England Series, sometimes called the Starbridge Series, her characters, who are Anglican Christians in some sort of crisis, are "in spiritual direction," that is, they are regularly seeing a spiritual director. The chief task of the director is to help somebody discern God's presence and guidance. Howatch's portrayal of spiritual direction is sometimes more animated than reality, but she basically hits the nail on the head. The spiritual director's job is not to give directions so much as to help someone pay attention to God's directions. In general, spiritual directors are wise, experienced, spiritually-sensitive Christians. They may or may not be ordained ministers, though most spiritual directors have been specifically trained and credentialed. Their training may include reading lots of spiritual classics, taking extended time for personal spiritual growth, seeing a spiritual director, being in a group with fellow trainees, and doing spiritual direction and a supervised intern.
		The first book in Howatch's series. I recommend this book, though it could be rated R in spots.

In the last thirty years or so, Christians outside of the Catholic (or Anglo-Catholic) tradition have become more familiar with spiritual directions. This may be a result of the lowering of the wall between the Protestant and Catholic traditions. It may also be the result, in particular, of the popularity of the writings of Henri Nouwen (a Roman Catholic priest) and Susan Howatch (an Anglican novelist). For basic information on Catholic spiritual direction, visit Catholic Spiritual Direction. For a Protestant/Reformed perspective, see this informative discussion by the Rev. Kenton Smith.

I began seeing a spiritual director last year. I did so because it seemed like a good way for me to grow in my relationship with God. My expectations have been more than realized, as I have had the privilege of a wise companion in my spiritual pilgrimage. It's been good to have a place to sort out my joys and frustrations as a Christian, and to have help in discovering God's presence in my life.

My experience confirms the fact that spiritual direction is not the same as counseling or therapy, even if both counselor and counselee are Christians. Though some of the methods are the same, honest sharing and sensitive listening, a counselor focuses on the individual and his or her needs, experiences, hurts, etc. In most counseling there is quite a bit of emphasis on discovering historical and psychological causes for current feelings and behaviors. So, if I'm feeling lots of anger towards a colleague at work, for example, a counselor might help me to see that this colleague reminds me of my father, and therefore my anger may be more about my relationship with my father than my relationship with my colleague. A good counselor would take me a step further, helping me to see my colleague more clearly and relate to him more fairly. A spiritual director might also be interested in the roots of my anger. But his or her focus wouldn't be in the past, or even in my feelings and behaviors. Rather, a spiritual director would help me to discover God's presence in my current experience. This might include finding God's power to be less angry, or to communicate my anger more appropriately. But a spiritual director would want me to consider what God might be saying to me in my anger, and how I might experience God's peace in a way that helps me deal with my anger in a healthy, even a godly way.

Given what I have experienced in spiritual direction, and given what I'm seeing in the Protestant/evangelical/Reformed world in which I spend most of my time as a Christian, I expect that the popularity of spiritual direction will greatly increase among folks in my tradition. There is a longing in people for spiritual growth and spiritual guidance. Spiritual direction can help satisfy this longing, and it is surely one way in which God can direct us through the Spirit.

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Confirming the Spirit's Guidance (Section A)
Part 18 of the series: How Does God Guide Us?
Posted for Thursday, February 8, 2007

Sometimes we won't know for sure if we have correctly discerned the Spirit's voice until we step out in faith. This is surely the scariest part of spiritual guidance because it requires both trust in God and a willingness to be embarrassed. But if you ask people who have risked their pride in order to confirm what they believed to be God's direction, they'll tell you that the rewards greatly outweigh the risks.

Most of the time what I'm describing here isn't all that spectacular. For example, each year my church sponsors a number of "mission trips" to other parts of the world. These trips might be to Mexico, or South Africa, or China. They often involve lots of hard work on the part of those who attend, and in some cases people are expected to raise quite a bit of money to pay for their trip. Some have the means to pay their own way, while others ask friends and family for financial support. All of this, especially the financial part, can feel daunting to someone who might be interested in a certain trip.

Nevertheless, each year I'll have people say to me something like, "I think God is calling me to go on the South Africa trip." Then they'll usually explain some deep sense of calling, rather along the lines of the whispering Spirit. Often folks have tried to convince God that they shouldn't go on the trip, but have felt His strong direction. "What should I do next?" they'll ask. My answer is that we need to confirm what they're sensing in their hearts. Have they checked with their small group? Have they talked with a mature Christian who knows them well? These are important elements of the confirmation process. But then comes the scariest part. Will they step out in faith? Will they (in many cases) talk to folks about their financial need? Will God supply the needed funds?
		Some members of my church on a mission trip in South Africa

Time and again in my ministry I've watched people step out in faith, sometimes with very small steps. When they do, God graciously confirms the guidance they had sensed previously. Confidants are encouraging. Supporters are generous. Sometimes funding comes from completely unexpected sources. When they finally go on the trip, they know without a doubt that this is what God wanted for them, not only because of what they are able to contribute, but also because of how they grow in faith and discipleship.

Now, of course, God doesn't always confirm what we take to be His guidance. Sometimes the opposite happens. This disconfirmation can come as people share their sense of leading with their Christian community and run into lots of loving concern. Often, however, the disconfirmation comes after folks step out in faith. I expect that God would be perfectly happy to bail us out in advance, at least much of the time, but we're often unwilling to follow His lead. As I've said before, it's terribly easy for us to project onto God what we think ought to be there.

For example, a pastor friend of mine once received a "call" (Presbyterian language for "job offer") to come pastor a church a couple thousand miles away. He truly believed this is what God wanted for him, even though some of his closest advisors were uncertain. So my friend went to the new church, began his ministry there, and only then realized that he had made a terrible mistake. What this church wanted differed largely from who my friend was as a pastor. So, after six months, he resigned from this pastorate and sought a new call.

When we step out in faith, sometimes we'll get out of line. And in some of these instances God will redeem our efforts and work things out. In other cases we'll end up taking an altogether different course. Even some of the most spiritually mature people can, at times, misconstrue God's will. I wish this weren't true, or at least I think I wish it weren't true. But the fact is that sometimes we aren't sure of God's guidance until we test it by our actions. And in these instances there will be times when we learn the hard way that we missed something along the way.

But here's the great news: God can and will work in and through all of these situations. If you get off course, God isn't up in heaven wringing His hands, wondering what to do next. Rather, He's already at work redeeming and, if necessary, redirecting. I know Christians who get stuck in indecision because they're afraid of messing up. The bad news is that we will mess up. The good news is that God cleans up.

As a seasoned "messer-upper," one of my favorite verses of Scripture is Romans 8:28: "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." The "all things" that God works out for God include our mistakes and miscues. That's not to say that we don't pay a price for our errors. Often we do. But God is still at work in and through us, transforming us to be more like Him and using us for His kingdom purposes.

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Confirming the Spirit's Guidance (Section B)
Part 19 of the series: How Does God Guide Us?
Posted for Friday, February 9, 2007

Yesterday I suggested that we can confirm (or disconfirm) the Spirit's guidance in a variety of ways, but principally through stepping out in faith. I also acknowledged that this can be scary, since it may require us to do something that is potentially awkward or embarrassing. The following story illustrates this possibility.

A woman I'll call Eva was a grandmother, a gentle woman, and one of the most mature Christians I had ever known. For many years she had served within her church by calling recent visitors on the telephone. Usually she'd say how much their visit was appreciated and offer to answer any questions they might have. Most phone calls were short, pleasant, and appropriately superficial.

But every now and then Eva would "hear from the Lord." One time she called a visitor and began her usual friendly spiel. In the middle of her script, however, she sensed the Holy Spirit "whispering" in her heart. For no apparent reason, she felt that this woman was in a great deal of pain over a difficult marriage.

Now Eva faced a challenge: to go with what she thought God was saying to her and risk offending the woman on the phone, or to avoid embarrassment by not bringing up the issue of her marriage but thereby missing the opportunity to help her. Eva chose to risk the embarrassment of following what she believed to be the Spirit's guidance.

"Can I share something a little odd with you?" she asked the woman on the phone.

"I guess so," was the answer.

"Well, as we have been speaking, I keep having this feeling that you're going through a tough time in your marriage. You probably think I'm crazy, but I felt like I had to say something."

The woman on the other end of the line was silent for several seconds. Finally she choked out, "How, how did you know? That's really why I went to your church."

"I think the Lord told me," Eva answered, "so I can pray for you and help you."

Thus a friendly phone call turned into the beginning of a healing encounter. Eva's sensitivity to the Spirit, her boldness combined with gentle love, opened up an opportunity for ministry that might not have otherwise presented itself.

I have just related one of the more spectacular of Eva's stories. Things didn't always flow so smoothly and with obvious supernatural blessing. But even when she appeared to strike out, Eva kept on trying to listen for the Spirit and to obey what she heard. When nothing unusual impressed her heart, she didn't make it up. She simply did her job graciously, welcoming visitors and sharing a bit of Christ's love with them. When she believed that the Spirit had given her special guidance to care for a visitor, she stepped out in faith, knowing that God would confirm that which is truly His guidance.

As I finish telling Eva's story, I can imagine the responses of some of my friends who are skittish about supernatural guidance of the sort I just described. "This opens the door to all sorts of nonsense," they'd complain, "even heresy. How are we going to know if somebody's claim to divine inspiration is true?" This is a fine question. Actually, it's one that Jesus Himself anticipated and answered. In the Gospel of Matthew He said:
		A wonderful cinematic portrayal of the "leap of faith" from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Those who are truly inspired by God, who truly hear the whispering of the Spirit, who are truly in touch with genuine divine guidance, will bear good fruit. That fruit will be evident in their personal lives. And it will also be evident in the lives of those who have been touched by them. What sort of fruit am I talking about? We could start with the fruit of the Spirit, which is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22). To this list we could add such things as: people drawn to the Lord, works of justice and mercy, the building up of the body of Christ, and so on. One who claims to be guided by God will, if the claim is true, live a life that reflects the character and ministry of Christ.

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Spiritual Guidance: For Whose Benefit? (Section A)
Part 20 of the series: How Does God Guide Us?
Posted for Monday, February 12, 2007

In my last post in this series, I told the story of a woman named Eva who tested what she believed to be the Spirit's guidance by stepping out in faith. By doing this, she was able to bring God's grace to a woman who was in a difficult place in her marriage.

Eva's example illustrates another vital truth about spiritual guidance: it often comes not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others. Of course as the Spirit enabled Eva to care profoundly for the woman on the phone, Eva herself felt gratitude well up in her heart. To be used by God is one of life's greatest joys! But the guidance Eva received was not primarily for her own blessing, but for the healing of another person who deeply needed to know God's love in a time of personal crisis.

Without a doubt, the Holy Spirit guides us through the maze of our lives if we seek His direction. But sometimes we become so absorbed in seeking guidance for ourselves that we overlook one of the Spirit's main reasons for speaking to us: so that we might minister to others. When we are prepared to hear God's voice, we will often be led to care on a deep level for the people God places in our lives. Sometimes the Spirit will lead us by placing a burden on our hearts for a certain person or area of need. Sometimes we will receive even more specific guidance, as Eva did during her phone call. But no matter the precise quality of God's direction, if we make ourselves available to Him, He will lead us into His ministry and empower us for His purposes.
		The maze outside of the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia

Notice that spiritual guidance both flourishes in the context of true fellowship among God's people and also contributes to that fellowship. As you are led by the Spirit to care for others with compassion and insight, your relationships will become deeper and sweeter. The Lord will help you penetrate the guardedness that keeps us at a "safe" but superficial distance from each other.

Notice also something that has remained implicit throughout this conversation of spiritual guidance. Spiritual guidance comes, not only for our good and for the good of others, but ultimately for the good of God. The Spirit guides us so that we might "do the good things [God] planned for us long ago" (Eph 2:10), and these things are all part of His plan for the cosmos. As we walk in God's will, we derive personal benefit. The people around us are blessed. But, even more significantly, God's purposes are being fulfilled through us. As my friend Buddy says, "Guidance from God is also guidance for God."

When you pray, "O Lord, please show me your will," you are acknowledging that God has the right to direct your life. God is sovereign, not only over all creation, not only over all history, but over you. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords has every right to govern you, and you ought to follow his guidance because of who he is.

But we seek and abide by God's direction, not only because he is our Master and we are His servants, but also because God's ways are the very best, both for Him and for us. Even when God seems to guide us along treacherous paths, even when walking in His ways denies our thirst for instant gratification, even when obedience to His call requires sacrifice and suffering, we follow Him because "we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Rom 8:28). As we discover God's purpose for our lives and as we walk in that purpose, He works in every part of our lives for our own good.

In my next post I want to expand on this theme a bit further and offer an illustration.

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Spiritual Guidance: For Whose Benefit? (Section B)
Part 21 of the series: How Does God Guide Us?
Posted for Tuesday, February 13, 2007

In my last post I suggested that God's guidance is not only for our personal benefit, though we are surely helped when God guides us. But divine guidance is often for the sake of others, and ultimately for the sake of God and His purposes.

This truth about God reminds me of a wonderful scene from The Sound of Music. Maria had set her heart upon becoming a nun and was in the midst of her candidacy to join a religious order. But her ability to accept the disciplines of convent life was in question. So, the leader of the abbey, who exercised complete authority over Maria's life, sent her away to serve as the governess for the incorrigible Von Trapp children. To Maria's surprise and horror, she unintentionally falls in love with their father, Captain Von Trapp. Fleeing back to the safety of the abbey, Maria tries to bury her love for the captain, a love which would surely compromise her commitment to becoming a nun.

When the abbess finally gets Maria to talk about what happened at the Von Trapp home, the confused girl confesses her love for Captain Von Trapp. She begs the Reverend Mother for the opportunity to make her religious vows immediately, thereby removing forever the possibility of marrying the captain. But the abbess does a most surprising thing. Rather than accepting Maria into the holy order and protecting her from a marriage that would preclude her becoming a nun, the Reverend Mother orders Maria to return to the Von Trapp home. Disregarding Maria's urgent pleas for admission to holy orders, she insists that Maria must test her love for the captain and thereby discover God's will for her life.

Julie Andrews as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music

Unhappily, Maria submits to the Reverend Mother's command because she has no other choice. As a candidate for the abbey, Maria has submitted her life to the authority of the abbess. But we can see that this wise woman exercises her authority, not only for the good for her order, but for Maria's good as well. Her guidance, however authoritative, is supremely wise and gracious, even though Maria cannot see it at the time.

So it with God's guidance and our response. We obey God's directions because we should. It's the only right thing to do. But even when we can't see how God's ways are the best for us, they always are. Like the Reverend Mother, the Lord deserves our complete obedience. And, like the Reverend Mother, our gracious Heavenly Father guides us into the life of greatest fulfillment. When God directs us for His own purposes, we discover that His purposes include our blessing and joy.

This illustration from The Sound of Music helps us to see how obeying God can lead, not only to God's good, but to our good as well. What it doesn't capture is the miraculous and peculiar way God actually worked in the real life of the real Maria von Trapp. I'll explain what I mean in my next post.

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Spiritual Guidance: For Whose Benefit? (Section C)
Part 22 of the series: How Does God Guide Us?
Posted for Tuesday, February 14, 2007

In my last post I used an example from the movie The Sound of Music to illustrate how God's directions for us are best, even when we can see this in the moment. Like the Reverend Mother who sent Maria back to the von Trapp family, God oftens "sends" us to places that don't seem best to us. But, in fact, they are the best.

The real Maria von Trapp

We can see this illustrated in the fictional version of the life of Maria von Trapp. But, in fact, her real life contained some striking examples of God's unexpected guidance. Here's an excerpt from the family history on the von Trapp website:

The movie strongly portrays Maria as the epitome of religious devotion in and out of convent life. Most people are unaware that she was raised as a socialist and atheist and became actively cynical towards all religions. Those beliefs quickly and dramatically changed by the chance meeting of a visiting Jesuit priest to Maria's college.

Maria had entered a crowded church assuming she was about to enjoy a concert by Bach. Instead, a well known priest, Father Kronseder has just began preaching. Caught in the middle of a standing-room-only crowd, Maria soon found herself caught up in the words of this preacher.

In Maria's words, "Now I had heard from my uncle that all of these Bible stories were inventions and old legends, and that there wasn't a word of truth in them. But the way this man talked just swept me off my feet. I was completely overwhelmed by it..." When he finished his sermon and came down the pulpit stairs Maria grabbed his elbow and loudly asked, "Do you believe all this?"

A meeting between the priest and Maria changed her beliefs and the course of her life.

Though Maria was intensely devoted to her convent, she was taken away from the outdoor activities she once thrived on. Her doctor was concerned her health was failing due to a lack of fresh air and exercise. This was when the decision was made to send Maria to the home of retired naval captain Georg von Trapp. Her position was not governess to all the children, as the movie portrayed, but specifically to the captain's daughter who was bedridden with rheumatic fever. The rest is truly history. Maria never returned to the convent and married the Captain on November 26, 1927. This is the story that has been made immortalized by The Sound of Music.

The von Trapp family began singing publicly, not because it was part of their escape from Austria to Switzerland, as in the movie, but as a result of what must have seemed like terrible misfortune to the von Trapps. When the family lost its wealth in the worldwide depression of the 1930s, they considered singing as a way of making money. At first the father was reticent, but according to one of his daughters, in the end he "accepted it as God's will that they sing for others." The family did indeed win first place at the Salzburg Music Festival in 1936, as depicted in the movie. And their singing was part of what helped them leave Austria, though without hiking over the mountains to Switzerland.

In the story of the real Maria von Trapp we see how God uses circumstances, even apparently negative ones, to guide and bless and use His people. First, God led her to faith through her attendance at an evangelistic event that she mistakenly thought was going to be a concert. Second, her poor health in the convent was what led to her being assigned to the von Trapp family. And that which ended up bringing her family much acclaim, namely their professional singing, was something they did out of necessity when they lost their fortune.

Maria, by the way, remained a faithful Christian all of her life. In the 1950s she, along with her own children, Johannes and Rosmarie, and her stepdaughter Maria, went to New Guinea to do mission work there. Although Maria (senior) contracted malaria and didn't remain in New Guinea for a long time, her children stayed on for several years, with Maria (junior) doing mission work in New Guinea for thirty years.

So the story of the real Maria von Trapp reminds us that God's ways are not our ways, and that God's guidance often comes packaged in unexpected forms. Yet He can use even the unexpected and the apparently negative both for our good and for His purposes.

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How Does God Guide Us? Concluding Thoughts
Part 23 of series: How Does God Guide Us?
Posted for Friday, February 16, 2007

In this series I've tried to show some of the ways that God guides us. I've explained that God guides us through:

• Circumstances
• Scripture
• Community
• Reason
• Dreams and Visions
• Divine Whispering
• Spiritual Direction

I suggested that we can confirm God's guidance in various ways, especially through taking the risk of stepping out in faith. In my last posts I showed that God's guidance is not only for our benefit, but also for the sake of others, and especially for the sake of God's own kingdom and glory.

I'll finish up this series by responding to a couple of very practical questions that often hear as a pastor:

How can I learn to be guided by the Holy Spirit?

My life is so busy, how can I find time to quiet my heart enough to hear the Spirit's gentle whisper?

How can I learn to be guided by the Holy Spirit?

I have found that many people simply need to be aware of the different ways that the Holy Spirit can guide them. Some who have studied the Bible for years to gain theological knowledge never expected the Spirit to speak to them personally through the Scripture. Once they have this expectation, they realize that the Spirit had been whispering in their ears in the past, but they had dismissed this internal voice as nothing of significance. Now they are ready to be guided by the Spirit in a more personal way.

Let me emphasize again that spiritual guidance must be evaluated for its consistency with Scripture. Moreover, we all need to be in close fellowship with other Christians who can help us to discern God's directions for our lives. If you want to be guided by the Spirit and not simply to claim divine status for your own inclinations, commit yourself to Bible study and to active involvement in Christian community.

Remember that spiritual guidance often comes, not for our sake, but for the sake of others. As you seek God's will, ask him to show you how to serve those around you. Make yourself available to do God's will, to participate in his work in the world. Submission to the Lord is a crucial ingredient of your readiness to hear his voice.

Finally, the practice of spiritual disciplines helps to tune our ears to the voice of the Spirit. As you spend time reading and meditating upon the Scripture, praying, journaling, taking time to be alone with God, being silent for extended times, worshipping publicly and privately, and fasting, your heart will be prepared for hearing God's voice. If these disciplines -- or even the word "discipline" -- are unfamiliar to you, let me recommend a couple of marvelous books: The Spirit of the Disciplines, by Dallas Willard (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988) and A Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, 3rd edition (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1998).

My life is so busy, how can I find time to quiet my heart enough to hear the Spirit's gentle whisper?"

I imagine that this question has been on the lips of many readers ever since I first mentioned our need to take time for quiet. Most of us live hopelessly busy lives, and even if we have moments of potential quiet, we tend to fill those with lots of unnecessary noises. I always marvel at folks who walk along the beach, preferring the artificial noise of their iPod to the soothing and inspiring sound of the waves.

For most of us, quiet won't just happen. We need to plan for it. It needs to become a top priority in our calendars, or we'll be sure to find lots of reasons to spend time on other things. Today I'm on a plane for Texas, where I'll be speaking at a retreat. After the retreat is over, I'm going to spend some extra time at the retreat center before I fly home. Why? So I can get some quiet with the Lord. I find that if I can schedule times like this into my calendar well in advance, them I'm apt to take them. Otherwise the busyness of life overwhelms my good intentions.

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