Junctions. Life is full of them. Like the one on this sign, they can be really complex. Sometimes, the road choices seem simple enough… but they turn out to have really far-reaching implications.
Our man Jehoshaphat left us the best example for navigating life’s road choices. Here it is in his own words: “Please inquire first for the word of the Lord.”1
When Jehoshaphat followed his own advice, he thrived; when he didn’t, he barely survived.
Who taught him to inquire of the Lord this way? Here’s an insightful clue. We’re told he “followed the example of his father David’s earlier days.”2 (Sure enough, if you go looking, you’ll notice that David repeatedly “inquired of the Lord.” But, sadly, this pattern is mostly evident only in his “earlier days.”)
Are you at a confusing crossroads? A complex road junction?
Let me encourage you to purposefully follow the example of Jehoshaphat and David. Inquire of the Lord. Get alone. Turn off your cell phone, ipod, TV, and computer… and open God’s Word. Choose a posture of humility (face down? on your knees?). Adopt an attitude of surrender. “Anything, Lord. Anywhere. Anytime.”
God’s answers often do not come quickly or easily. Sometimes He waits to see how serious we are about doing whatever it is that He might direct. Jehoshaphat’s example of fasting is also noteworthy.3 Fasting is not an attempt to twist God’s arm. No, it’s an expression of our heart: “God, seeking You—hearing from You so I can do what You want me to do… seeking You for Your deliverance at this hour—this is more important to me than even my basic need for food.”
Are you at a crossroads? Remember this. No one wants you to know the right road to take more than God. If you’re pre-committed to doing whatever He says, He won’t hide His counsel from you.4
Your fellow inquirer,
Paul
2 2 Chronicles 17:3
3 2 Chronicles 20:3
4 see this principle expressed in Isaiah 30:18-21