FINDING THE WAY

Finding the Way, Isaiah 30:19-22It is often difficult to hear that voice guiding us to the right path. Many of us think we know God’s direction for a certain part of our lives, but we are not sure. Throughout the next ten days we will be seeking discernment about a major decision. Perhaps there is some leading you think you have felt or some issue about which you remain undecided—such as whether you should stay in or pursue a relationship with a certain person, or whether you should change vocation. Or perhaps you have not felt any real leadings from God about the direction your life should take and your task is not to confirm, but to ask God for a new direction.


19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem,
you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
20 Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you.
You will see your teacher with your own eyes. 21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say,"This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left. 22 Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags,
saying to them, "Good riddance!" NLT.

The notes below are from 'A Year With God' by Richard Foster and are a part of a daily devotional group called The Passionate Participation in God Project on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=237088564302/ You can sign up and get these eamils each day at the site above. You can also read them at www,abbasglory.com/ Just click on the In God daily tab.

You can go about this task in a variety of ways. You might want to pray about the same thing every day, asking God for confirmation or direction, or, alternately, spend a block of time one day thinking and praying. Another option is to ask several trusted friends to meet with you to talk over and pray about your question. Quakers call such gatherings “meetings for clearness.” Sometimes the Holy Spirit can speak to us more clearly in a group and also reassure us that our inclination is of the Spirit and not of our own ego.

Throughout, as you seek confirmation that you are on the right path, consider that, in his Rules for the Discernment of Spirits, Ignatius of Loyola states that good influences provide courage and strength and produce peace and a greater feeling of love, while choices influenced by evil can be counted on to cause regret, sadness, and disquiet.5 Reflect on these thoughts of Ignatius whenever you feel unsure.