Today's Reading: Judges 1

 

Inquiring of the Lord

It is the beginning of a new season in the history of Israel.  The book of Joshua closed where the people were in the land but there was yet much of the land that was not yet conquered. They had not completely driven out the enemies. They had not yet taken all of the territories that God had promised unto them.  And now, their leader Joshua has...

died.  The people must now take the rest of the Land without Joshua’s leadership and must establish their society within the Land that God promised to them.

Upon Joshua’s passionate exhortation near the end of his life, the people of Israel had made a firm commitment to fear God, worship Him in total commitment, shun idols, follow the commandments, and serve only the LORD.  It is a bright day!  So much anticipation.  So much hope. Think of it – a society chosen by God and established upon His precepts and laws and fully committed to His Lordship.  This could be the start of something wonderful.

The people start out well.  The very first verse of Judges tells us that the first thing they did was “inquired” of the LORD.  Specifically, they wanted to know about the order of battle and who should lead them to victory over the people groups still residing in Canaan.  So, they “inquired” of the LORD.  They had watched Moses and Joshua do this for decades – inquiring of the Lord, seeking His guidance and wisdom.  So, they undertake to follow the example of their fallen leaders.  They humbly went to God and sought His direction for their next step. 

Inquiring of the Lord is the key to success in the Christ-followers life.  We must turn to God for His wisdom and guidance whenever a decision needs to be made. Whether it is a big decision or a tiny one, God’s will on the matter is of utmost importance.  Oftentimes a certain course of action may seem right to us, but when we inquire of the Lord, He guides us in a different direction.  We must learn that the correct decisions are not always determined by human reasoning and logic – or by emotion and passion.  We can be totally passionate about a course of action, but when we inquire of the Lord, we may find that His will does not match ours.

In this aspect of prayer there is more asking than petitioning. Petitioning is to tell God what we want Him to do for us. However, inquiring is to ask the Lord what is on His heart—what He wants us to pray for – and what His will is. Inquiring prayers honor God. It is by such prayers that God’s desire is made known to us.  It is as we humbly inquire of the Lord, step by step, point by point, that we can sense God’s leading and then move according to His leading.