Can God really guide us?

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:

What did I like about today’s passage?

Last week we looked at lots of times when it was a good idea to listen to God. I love that the remnant of Judah which was allowed to stay in Jerusalem at the beginning of the exile to Babylon decided, after some hard lessons, to consult God through Jeremiah, and God responded with nice, clear instructions.

Unfortunately, their response to Jeremiah’s prophecy was “You are lying!” The people were so sure of what God ought to say, they didn’t believe Jeremiah. So why bother asking?

From chapter 44, I can maybe see why they wouldn’t accept what Jeremiah (and God) said. People’s sense of what was going well seemed to come from how much comfort and food they had and was linked to superstitions and rituals around other “gods” like “the Queen of Heaven”. They associated good times and prosperity with the incense they burned and the cakes they made. It’s understandable – it’s a way that humans have tried to make sense of the world forever. But it’s ultimately self-centred, about what we do more than any power which is genuinely bigger than us.

People who don’t believe in God assume we do the same thing, and that our faith is simply a comfort and general moral guide. This story illustrates a very different point of view. If God is real and wants to change the world for the better, through us, we won’t always be comfortable. If God is real and wants to renew relationship with us, we can only play our part in this by accepting his words, not blocking them out. If God is real, this story shows that the real struggle we have is not between rival religions, but within ourselves – can we accept guidance within a relationship with God, or will be go our own way instead?

I don’t like that Judah’s choices led to the ruin God promised. But I love that the story can be told that God does reach out for relationship with people, his voice can be heard, his power is real and that, while this can be very uncomfortable, it can also be life winning over death.

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

God’s power can be shown in history and his voice can be heard through people who are prepared to listen and pass it along faithfully. God lets people choose whether to be guided by him or not, and the guidance isn’t always comfy, but we would be foolish to ignore it.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

Consider this week where God may already have guided me and I might have dismissed this guidance in practice. I’ll keep praying for wisdom on this!

Who am I going to share this with?

Other people I pray with.