He Leads Us

I don’t suppose it’s wise to sit around contemplating what other people do, but from time to time, what other people do, and then what they say about it, purports to reflect on God’s character, and leaves me saying, "Would God really do that?"

As you know from having heard my stock story, the Lord led me down a path that seemed pretty strange to me, and used that odd path to provide a pick-up truck to a young family in need, and a nice little car for me. What fun! But it wasn’t so for everyone.

"X2" heard that the price of my purchased stock had doubled, and told "X3," who also bought some of the (probably same) stock. Now, I have to tell you that I have no idea what "X3"s motive in purchasing the stock was. (Half the time we don’t even know what our own motive is—forget about figuring out someone else’s!) All I know is what happened. "X3" got sick—if that was immediately after purchasing the stock, or not, I don’t know—took that sickness as being God’s voice of reproof for purchasing the stock, and sold out. The next day the price of the stock sky-rocketed.

When I heard about that, I wondered … would God really do that? Would God make you sick to reprove you for buying stock? Or would your own fears about doing something out of the ordinary be more likely to make you sick? "X3" credits God for what happened, saying that the stock market was not a route the Lord wanted "X3" to take. But should God get the dubious credit for that? Or should the human tendency toward fear-based action get the credit? Is our lack of success something that we should give God the credit for?

In a parable, Jesus tells of man who, because of fear-based inaction, was unsuccessful with what he’d been entrusted with. Jesus didn’t blame it on God’s will: he said that what the man had would be taken away from him. In the final days of Elisha, a king was given the opportunity to claim complete victory over his enemies. He wasn’t successful, but Elisha didn’t blame it on God’s will; in fact, Elisha was angry that the king didn’t take full advantage of his opportunity.

I’m not suggesting that God isn’t involved in our failures every bit as much as our successes. It seems to me, however, that it’s usually our own fears and such that cause our failures, while the Lord is there the whole while, attempting to teach us and lead us down a better path. A failure is nothing to feel condemned about ... but it’s nothing to aim for, either, and although it was God who subjected me to vanity, I’m pretty sure that my failures in life are all the result of my failure to hear and obey His voice.

He leads us into triumph; the only question is, will we follow him?

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