Yes or No?

Last time I wrote on Fleeces and how I had found my answer, then to observe my close brother in the Lord totally make a fool of himself through the same process!  But, I did have my answer and I was happy.  I loved being a youth minister; maybe one day even moving up into the pastor’s role – after finishing theology school of course.  It was the only job I have ever completely loved and wanted.  But, it was not to be.

Yes, I lost that job very shortly after this whole Fleece problem had cropped up.  How could God have given me seven ‘Yes’s and then I would lose my ministry position?  I had no doubt this was His will – yet, in the back of my mind I had to wonder what was going on!

Most every situation should have a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer, at least in my mind.  But, what I have found was that often God does not answer the way we expect.  A ‘No’ answer could be a ‘Wait’ or a ‘No’.  A ‘Yes’ could be a yes for now, but not for later.  A ‘No’ could be for now or forever. 

Do you think of the silly situations you can get yourself into by trying to out guess God?  Gideon only asked about one task God had already told him about, I was trying to get direction for a life time – something God had not told me about!  God had me where he wanted me for that point in my life but shortly that was all about to change.  God was about to test me, God was about to test my fiancée, God was about to test my new in-laws, God was about to test my friends and my family.  (And admittedly we all failed.)

So, I now wait upon the Lord.  Watching for open doors and closed doors.  And by all means, keeping my fingers out of those door ways – just in case they get slammed shut!  I have spiritually gnarly fingers from all of the breakage…..

I no longer ask for a sign, I ask for His will to become so plainly known that even I can see the path He would have me follow.  If I do not see a path, I do nothing.  If an opportunity appears but I sense God has not prodded me in that direction, I do nothing.  Yes, I do a lot of nothing!  But, then I do know where He has me and what He has me doing, and that I pursue whole heartedly – at least until directed elsewhere.