Yes, My Lord...Let's Dance

                My husband is a gamer. He has been since the day I met him. Back in the day, before computers could be held in your lap or in the palm of your hand, he played this game that used to crack me up. I do not remember the name of the game, but what I do remember was that he would point his mouse, click on a path or road in the game and this little guy would respond with, “yes, my lord,” then very slowly go to the spot that he had clicked on. If you wanted the character to do something, you had to point and click on a certain area of the game and he would go do it all the while saying, “Yes, my lord,” after every click. The way the guy said “yes, my lord” always made me laugh. It became so common in our household, that when my husband would ask me to do something I too would reply, “Yes, my lord.”

But don’t you wish sometimes life was that easy? Don’t you wish when you were faced with a decision the Lord God would just point His mouse on your computer screen of life, click and you would go? My husband and I find ourselves faced with decisions again. Decisions that will affect not only our lives, but the lives of our children, and we find ourselves asking, “Which way do we go?” As I prayed this morning for direction, for wisdom regarding the way we should go, a word popped into my head. That word is guidance.

“For You are my Rock and my Fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and Guide me.” Psalm 31:3    

I once had a sister in the Lord talk about guidance at one of our women’s studies. She used the image of dancing to explain what guidance means. She talked about how only one person can lead and the other must follow. When two people try to lead, someone always ends up getting their toes stepped on or they end up falling over. We have to allow God to lead us and guide us through this dance of life. But sometimes, it seems like I am dancing alone, I do not hear His directions, see His leading, or feel Him near me dancing with me.

To lead means to go before or with (a person) to show them the way; to guide means to assist (a person) to travel through, or to reach a destination as by giving directions. Guidance means to give (a person) advice or counsel regarding to practical or spiritual affairs. (Dictionary.com) Right now, I need both, because I feel like I am dancing all alone.

There are paths before us that we can take, and all of them seem like the right paths to take, but we just are not sure which one the Lord has chosen for us. All of them will probably lead to the same conclusion, but some seem a little harder than the others. I truly wish the Lord would just point and click for us and we could reply, “Yes, my Lord”, and then go. But, He has not of yet. Why is that? Why does the Lord sometimes bring us to crossroads and leave us in a place where we have to make a decision, but not sure which way He wants us to take, leaving us dancing alone?

I believe it is so that He can grow us in faith and in our trust and reliance in Him. God is our Guide, He is our Leader, and He gives us counsel through His Word. But sometimes, He is silent because He is asking us to take a leap of faith. The paths before us all seem good and some look easier, some look harder, but the decision is up to us. He is waiting, once again, for us to step out in faith. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink, I believe the old saying goes. The same goes for us, the Lord can lead us and guide us, but it is up to us to step out in faith, make a decision and leave the rest up to Him.

The psalmist states that the Lord God is his Rock, He is his fortress. He is praying and seeking God to lead him, to give him guidance about what he should do. He states first that God is his Rock. He knows that God is his security. God will keep him solid, and keep his foot from slipping. He then goes on to say that God is his fortress. He states that no matter what happens, God will protect him, and keep him safe. He has a decision to make, and he has no idea what he should do. But he is confident that God will keep him safe, secure and protected no matter which way he takes. This is where faith comes in when we are faced with decisions and have no idea in the way that we should go.

Sometimes the Lord does clearly point and click and we go, but there are times when He wants us to step out in faith, and walk, trusting and knowing that He is with us, always. The road that seems the easiest may not always be the road the Lord wants us to take either. Sometimes, the road that is the hardest is the one He has for you. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that “We walk by faith and not by sight.” We may not be able to see the path clearly, and it may not make sense to take that path, but we must choose one, and we must have faith that the Lord will guide us along the way.

I do not know how to dance the Tango, but if I were to step out in faith and follow a leader, I would soon understand the dance and how to do it. The same is true of our decisions that we make each and every day. We may not understand why the Lord is waiting for us to choose a path, but if we put our faith in Him and take that first step of faith, He will lead us and guide us through the dance. Faith is not always easy because it requires us to step out of our comfort zone and trust that the Lord will protect us and keep us safe. He is our Rock, He is our Fortress, and in Him we can trust. He may not point and click and tell show you to which way to go, but our response to any decision we make in Him should always be a step of faith followed with, “Yes, my Lord.” And then we can enjoy the dance. Amen and Amen.