Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)
We have a tendency to think that God only leads us from the front. But this is not true. He leads us from behind too. And the reason is clear. At times we all need God to push from behind for two reasons: first, we have settled into the place we currently are without any forward progress; second, there is a storm up ahead and we will need God to push us through it. Either way, being led from behind is a great grace from God.
In looking back over your life, can you not see the times when God was leading you from behind? Perhaps there was an unexpected storm that suddenly came up in your life similar to the ones that happened on the Sea of Galilee. Without God pushing you through the storm, you would have hunkered down and simply tried to weather it, right where it found you. Surely you can see times when God had to overcome inertia in your life to get you to answer His call in your life. If you are anything like me, this is simply the confession of your life.
Think about it this way. If God were only to lead us from the front, we would have a tendency to ease up a bit as long as we had Him in view. We would grow only into a fraction of the person He is calling us to be. So, in God’s providence, He often leads us from behind, causing us to rely not on what we see in front of us, but on what we know within us. This is one of the ways God calls us to walk by faith and not by sight, growing us to be more acutely aware of God’s voice in our lives.
So, whether you find yourself in a season where God is leading you from the front or from behind, as long as you are trusting in Him, you will ultimately get to your promised destination. And along the way, you will be growing and maturing in your faith, looking ahead and listening behind.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 