“But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” John 10:2-4
Three of the most important words I have ever heard.
Let me lead.
I’m not talking about hearing those words from humans. Like dance partners decades ago. The ones whose feet I inevitably stepped upon in my inability to follow someone else’s lead in dance. How many feet did I crush, I’m glad I can’t remember. No, I’m not talking about dance. Nor about humans. I’m speaking of God.
Let me lead.
The Lord speaks to me regularly. Often. Throughout the day. Sometimes in the night. I crave Him. I hunger for Him. For more of Him. And I crave His voice. Speaking personally to me. Even when what He says is hard to hear. Because I want Him, and more of Him, so very much, even His voice to me is more of His presence. And the hard stuff, it comes in love. Like this.
Let me lead.
EVERY SINGLE WORD God speaks to all of us in the Bible, and EVERY SINGLE WORD He speaks by His Spirit personally and directly to our hearts, EVERY SINGLE WORD is more important than anything else we can possibly hear in the universe. But some things, in my life anyway, just seem to stick out. Like this.
Let me lead.
I wish I could tell you He’s only told me this once. But no, He’s told me many times. Ephatically. Strongly. Firmly. Sometimes sternly. Sometimes gently. But always IN LOVE. In His love.
Why? Why does He tell me this? And why must He remind me?
Christ’s followers are not merely to believe in Christ as Lord, but to FOLLOW CHRIST AS LORD. To let God’s Spirit who always speaks and leads in line with the Bible to LEAD US. In how much of our lives? In every aspect of our lives. How often? ALL THE TIME. Whether we hear His voice speaking directly to us, or are reading the Bible and He highlights something specific in it for us, whether He uses someone to give us a message, whether we simply sense His presence and leading, whatever method God uses to speak to us, we have one job above all else. To love Him with all our hearts and to follow Him. To follow His lead.
So what’s the problem? Why does He need to remind me to let Him lead? Because I in my humanness, I in my flesh, I in my selfishness, I when I am me-centered instead of remembering to be God-focused, I when I slip, and stumble, and fall, I when I revert into old behavior, I when I fal linto pride, I when I don’t do what I’m supposed to do in one way or another, I start taking the lead. And sometimes I don’t just take the lead; sometimes I go running, and running, and running forward so fast, so furiously, so pridefully, that I can’t even hear God’s magnificent voice calling me, Jesus speaking to me, His Spirit telling me what He wants to tell me. Like this.
Let me lead.
Friend, how can we follow Jesus when we don’t let Him lead?
Who exactly is doing the leading in our relationship with the Lord? JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. That means JESUS CHRIST is to do the leading.
And sometimes we need the reminder I get from time to time. This one.
Let me lead.
Father, forgive me. For doing the leading again. How wrong I am. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Teach me to so trust you, to so love you, to so humble myself before you, to so place my faith in you, Jesus, that I patiently wait to hear from you, wait for you to lead me, and let you lead, so I can follow, you, my beloved, my beloved Lord, yes, please help me to follow, and please help me to let you lead, in your most precious name, Amen!
LET HIM LEAD.