The Man Minute

Do "signs" lead you to act in faith, or does faith move first, then you'll see the signs? Most often we pray for God to give us a sign, but that's pretty much the reversal of what you'll find in Biblical faith walking. 
 
Just one example: God's people are at the edge of the current at the Jordan River (Joshua 3). They can hear the water as it moves over the rocks. They see the eddy currents swirl in places where the water is deeper. The people are not commanded to stand and wait until the waters part before they cross. In fact, the Word tells us that "When those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, (it was then) that the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap ... and the priests ... stood on firm ground in the middle of the Jordan." 
 
It wasn't until they started getting wet did the waters part, which means that every person had to commit to walking into water with full anticipation that the waters would part at any given moment. 
 
Often in life you are thrust into situations where you simply have no idea what to do next. So, then, at that moment, what do you do? 

You do the only thing you know to do with the information you have at the time. When God places a burden on your heart, when God speaks to an area of your life in which He's calling you to go deeper and further still, more often than not that's all you're going to get from Him. A voice of leading, calling you onward. God doesn't grant anybody a panoramic view of life. He does that for your own best interests. There's no faith in that. You cannot mature with panoramic views. You can only grow when you glance down only to find that your boots are wet.

Following Him into the Unknown

Either we wake to tackle our "to do" list, get things done, guided by our morals and whatever clarity we may at the moment have (both rather lacking to the need, I might add); or we wake in the midst of a dangerous Story, as God's intimate ally, following him into the unknown.

If you're not pursuing a dangerous quest with your life, well, then, you don't need a Guide. If you haven't found yourself in the midst of a ferocious war, then you won't need a seasoned Captain. If you've settled in your mind to live as though this is a fairly neutral world and you are simply trying to live your life as best you can, then you can probably get by with the Christianity of tips and techniques. Maybe. I'll give you about a fifty-fifty chance. But if you intend to live in the Story that God is telling, and if you want the life he offers, then you are going to need more than a handful of principles, however noble they may be. There are too many twists and turns in the road ahead, too many ambushes waiting only God knows where, too much at stake. You cannot possibly prepare yourself for every situation. Narrow is the way, said Jesus. How shall we be sure to find it? We need God intimately, and we need him desperately.

"You have made known to me the path of life," David said (Ps. 16:11). Yes-that's it. In all the ins and outs of this thing we call living, there is one narrow path to life, and we need help finding it.

(Waking the Dead , 95)