Guidance: Making Sense gods Direction (Extracted. Written by Philip Yancey) 20 APR 2009

Gideon’s Fleece:
In the story reported in Judges 6 and 7, Gideon clearly emerges as an example of doubt and vacillation.

The Pragmatic School：
A sincere questioner uses such resources as the Bible, the inner promptings of Holy Spirit, and external circumstances to descry God’s Will.
“line up those three like harbor lights,” And add a fourth harbor light, the wise counsel of fellow Christian.

The Macedonian Call- Abnormal circumstances.

Freedom to Choose?—using spiritual wisdom.

Take a step Back from the Precipice of Choice- how an infinite God could guide finite beings?

His Option- Human guidance
3 responses we hope to hear- seeking supporters’ counsel.  the answer should be “Yes”
But we must look to other models-
Indecisiveness- the mature ability to make own decisions.
Human freedom, A Friendly Listener (without directive interference.)
Frustration from Silence.- Guidance not just sympathy, from God.
Consulting Experts-Finitude (professionalist) vs infinitude (God).
Where God draws the line- God’s Hesitance to intervene? Psalm 25.14

Intimacy- God Longs for Intimacy. And maintaining a love relationship. Psalm 27.8

A Trip- escape pressures or appriciating the Psalms.
Retreat –Discord between two types of psalms. Again it is Psams 21 to 25.
Make a spiritual Journal. And record your intimate relationship with your Lord.
1cor 2.12

God Guides in Subtle ways;
By feeding ideas into our minds, speaking through a nagging sensation of disatisfaction,
Inspiring us to choose better than we otherwise would have done, bringing to the surface hidden dangers of temptation and perhaps by rearranging certain circumstances.
God’s guidance will supply real help, but in ways that will not overwhelm my freedom.

Faith is Nourished- God guidance becomes not an end in ifself but only one more means God uses in nourishing faith. John 14.21

The Quiet Nudge, Subtle and Indirect,, A Crossroad in Career, Insomnia?
God speaks through Insomnia? The message of insomnia was as direct a form of guidance as I would get. Now that look back on it, it seems startingly direct.
No Coincidence.- A pattern of God’s Hand-They seemed no more extraordinary than any other event in our life.. Focusing on the Present- How is my relationship to God? As circumstances change, for better of work, will I respond with obedience and trust.

Guidance only becomes clear as we look backward.
At tht momen, my future is a big blur.
My present is a daily struggle to crank out more words and a desire to grow in relationship with God himself.
But my past- looking there, at last I can see a pattern.
A picture is being painted, for me, for all who are called the sons and daughters of God. Yet it does not take shape until enough time passes for me to stand up and look back on what colours and design have been laid down.
If I saw the pattern in advance, a sort of schema for “paint-by-numbers,”
That would leave no room for faith.
And, besides, God does not paint by numbers.