As we approach a new year, we sometimes think of resolving to improve during the coming year or to be a better person than before. Most of us want to follow God’s will and heed His calling.
Some ask how to do that. I could keep this short and give you the 1-2-3 step program! But instead, I want to share a story first.
In 1978, Douglas and I were living in Tennessee with our two young children. I enjoyed staying at home with them, but Doug’s joy in his work was going away. He had worked as Industrial Relations Manager for Magnavox eight years and loved it, but now another company had bought them out and the new owners were changing things.
Because Douglas was in HR, he knew about sending resumes to “headhunters,” so he sent his own to several. And then, he received a job offer we didn’t know what to do with!
That day, Douglas came into the kitchen and asked, “How would you like to live in Saudi Arabia?”
I laughed and asked, “Do we even know where that is?”
Douglas knew I enjoyed reading about other cultures and I wanted to travel some day. He began to tell me about this oil company that wanted to fly us to Houston for a joint interview.
My laughter disappeared. I told him I wasn’t sure I wanted to move so far away from our families.
Smart as he was, Douglas countered with the fact that we both wanted to travel. Then came his zinger, which was “And if God doesn’t want us there, He’ll shut the door.”
I argued, “Sometimes He lets us have what we want because we really want it so much that we don’t look for His will.”
But, good wife that I was, I agreed to pray separately and then together with him about it. After a few days, we left the children with his mother and I accompanied him to Houston.
The weekend held serious discussions with both of us concerning our attitudes about rules from another culture and our respect for them. Apparently, the interviewers were pleased with our answers and made a wonderful offer. They gave us until morning to make our decision.
Again, Douglas and I prayed separately and then together, weighing the pros and cons and asking God for His will. When morning dawned, both of us had a peace about accepting the offer.
The next few months were exciting, busy, selling our house, getting shots, and preparing to leave family and friends behind and go off to the big unknown. I thought I must have felt something like Sarah did when following Abraham! But through the arguments some friends gave us and the names others called us, we kept the peace God had given us.
The eight years in Arabia were awesome, full of delights, new friends, new opportunities to serve the Lord, visits with missionaries, and views of beautiful places around the world. Of course, we had ordinary problems with rearing children, learning to do without items we could not get overseas, and the day to day upheavals that kept us asking God for His help and forgiveness. But through it all, we felt we were right where God wanted us at the time. Douglas led the worship time with other believers who met with us, and together, we grew in our love for the Lord and our knowledge of Him.
We had planned to stay ten years, but at the end of eight years, my parents became ill and needed us back in Louisiana, so we prayed again for His will and felt it was time to return. That time, we had our “fleece,” like Gideon. Douglas said if I could have a job waiting for me, we could come home. I called on Monday, and the principal said the librarian had quit on Friday, so I was hired! We followed through and know that was the right thing to do then.
Looking back, I can see how God used the people we met along the way to broaden our minds, showing us we can keep our fences around us that identify us, but we needed to tear down the walls that separated us. After we returned to the states, when we encountered narrow-minded people, Douglas would tell me, “They need to spend seven years in the desert!” That would surely change their attitude, like it did ours, and show us that we need each other and we need to share with everyone and serve others.
In Deuteronomy 30:20, Moses encouraged the people to love God and “listen to His voice.” If we commit everything to God, we can feel His prompting.
David declared in Psalm 31:14, “I trust in you, Lord. My times are in Your hands.” Later he prayed, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow.” (Psalm 25:4) Then he taught us that God’s word is “a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105).
Paul wrote that we should be careful how we live, and be wise. (Eph. 5:15) We must follow Jesus’ example and trust Him to help us with wisdom.
James 1:2 tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should “ask God.” The Holy Spirit helps us mature in our understanding.
So, if there is a 1-2-3 step program, perhaps it would be something like this. As we make decisions, big or small, we can remember that first, we must love God, then seek His wisdom, and finally, listen to His voice. Praying and reading scriptures is the best way to go after that wisdom. God provides light and prompting, then He gives confidence and peace when we follow His will.
Joyce Broyles is a retired Senior High Library Teacher. She resides in Jennings, LA.