Which Way?

Spiritual leadership is a difficult thing. Often, I find myself placed in a situation where I'm asked to make decisions I don't feel equipped to make. Frankly, I don't know what the right answer is, sometimes. When those times come, it’s tempting to shift into a pattern of just doing what most people want.

The problem is that spiritual leadership is not representative democracy. Sometimes the direction God is leading us is resisted strongly by God’s people. That's when it gets really tough. And when that happens, it’s easy to identify with David’s words in Psalm 143:

Listen, Lord, as I pray! You are faithful and honest and will answer my prayer. I am your servant. Don’t try me in your court, because no one is innocent by your standards. My enemies are chasing me, crushing me in the ground. I am in total darkness, like someone long dead. I have given up all hope, and I feel numb all over.

Have you ever been there? Stuck between a rock and a hard place...feeling like you're wrong, no matter what you do? I have. So what do you do about it? What do we do when we find ourselves having to make a decision we don't feel equipped to make, especially when the answer we're giving is really unpopular? Let me read David’s solution to the problem:

I remember to think about the many things you did in years gone by. Then I lift my hands in prayer, because my soul is a desert, thirsty for water from you. Please hurry, Lord, and answer my prayer. I feel hopeless. Don’t turn away and leave me here to die. Each morning let me learn more about your love because I trust you. I come to you in prayer, asking for your guidance. Please rescue me from my enemies, Lord! I come to you for safety. You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path.

I've learned that the voice I need to hear most is God's. It's more important then listening to the congregation...more important than listening to experts...more important than anything else.

Oh, and, by the way, I’ve also found that when I’m faithful in spending that time with God, my ability to make decisions improves significantly. Go figure!