Is God Leading You Or Are You Trying To Lead God?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. – Proverbs 3:5-6

Just a few weeks before we got married, my husband and I adopted a golden retriever puppy. We named him Sparky, and I can say with full confidence that he has lived up to his name because there is never a dull moment when he’s around.

While Sparky is very cute and very sweet, he also has a few annoying habits that really get on my nerves. Like the way he’s always trying (and sometimes succeeding) to eat our socks. Or the way he wiggles between me and Kevin when we’re hugging because he wants our full attention.

But the one thing Sparky does that annoys me more than anything is the way he walks in front of me and then stops as I’m trying to walk. For example, I’ll walk down to the basement to talk to Kevin for a few minutes and Sparky will follow me down there. But then when it’s time to go upstairs and I start walking, Sparky cuts me off and runs in front of me. Every few steps I take, Sparky goes too, but then he stops as I try to keep walking. So every few seconds I find myself saying, “Let’s go, buddy. Keep walking. Let’s go upstairs.”

This exact scenario happened the other day, and while I was trying to get Sparky to go upstairs, I said, “You know, this would be a lot easier if you followed behind me instead of trying to stay in front of me.”

As soon as I said it, I felt a little nudge from the Holy Spirit. It was like He was saying, “You do that with me sometimes, you know…”

Immediately I felt convicted because I knew He was right. So many times, instead of just following behind God wherever He is leading me, I jump ahead, take the lead, and then turn around every few steps to make sure we’re going in the same direction.

But wouldn’t it be a lot easier if I just followed behind Him instead of trying to stay in front of Him?

I have a feeling I’m not the only person who does this. If I had to guess, I’d say there have at least been a few times in your life where you tried to get ahead of God, where you jumped out in front instead of letting Him lead. And if your journey is anything like mine, your effort to jump ahead didn’t always work out in your best interest.

I know it can be tempting to want to lead the way in life, especially when you’re pursuing something you really want or are passionate about. I know it can be frustrating when it seems like God is taking His sweet time and you want to pick up the pace. And I know it can be confusing when He seems to be leading you down one path but you’re wanting to go in another direction.

But if I can encourage you as someone who is speaking from experience, things always work out better when you follow God’s lead rather than when you try to get God to follow your lead.

He can be trusted. He knows what He’s doing. And even if it doesn’t always seem like it, He’s leading you down the right path. So trust Him along the way and follow His lead. I can promise you won’t ever regret it.