Waiting for direction

Jeremiah a charismatic prophet of the Lord was bound by the spirit. Often he is found not willing to relay his unpopular message. However out of sheer obedience to God he delivers the oracle without fail to God’s people. So dependent on the Lord was Jeremiah, that if God did not speak he would not act.

In Jeremiah 42, a situation enfolds, where God’s people need direction. Upon inquiring of Jeremiah, they found he did not have God’s answer. Yet Jeremiah persisted in God’s presence waiting for God’s word. Ten days later, the word came, and he delivered a prophetic message to the people of Judah.

How important is God’s word to you? I mean receiving direction from the spirit of God, and then acting boldly. Jeremiah would not proceed until he heard. Unfortunately it took ten days for this to happen. The prolonged uncertainty must have been a bit trying for him. I wonder what he was doing for those ten days. I imagine he was seeking God and praying. Possibly fasting, worshipping, sitting, stationary, simply waiting for God’s presence.

Most people I know would act differently than Jeremiah. In our frenzied pace consumer centric culture people are often impatient when hearing from God. We seem to often act to quickly, devoid of the spirit of God, even justifying our decisions biblically, yet not clearly sure of the direction of God. Jeremiah could have given his best biblical advice, but yet didn’t. He relied on the Spirit’s fresh direction. Do you have a key decision to make? I know you probably have considered many reasonable options, such as best case scenarios, peoples’ opinions, etc. My question for you though is have you heard the word of the Lord? Do you truly feel his peace internally about your course of action? How do you know God has spoken? Did you persist in waiting?

God promised to pour out his spirit in these last days upon his people. He desires for us his people to be spirit led. I believe like Jeremiah, God will speak prophetically to you, giving you the direction, and the wisdom you need. However you must position yourself to determinedly wait on God’s presence. This might mean you may have to pray extensively for a season, delay a decision, and possibly choose a course of action that might be unpopular. Be rest assured, if you have heard from the spirit, your course of action will have God’s approval.