This question has always had the easy answer. Of course God
uses authority! Who would ever say that God does not use authority? Growing up
in a Christian home, it was always reinforced in my brain that God uses authority.
God shows through all of Scripture that He ordains, and uses authority however
He wants to.
A time when this really gets tested is when I, desiring to
walk with the Lord and willing to submit to the working of the Spirit of God on
my life, find my heart set on something of which my authorities are not
convinced. Fear comes in. “Do my
authorities question my spiritual discernment?”“Do my authorities not think that I walk with God?” The
temptation to get manipulative or forceful is strong because I believe the
thing I desire is God’s will. “Why can my authorities not see that?”
Imagine David, who knows God’s will regarding the throne of
Israel. He knows that in the future he will be king. Now, typically God does
not show us the future. In fact, He tells us to not be anxious for tomorrow,
but instead to be thankful and prayerful for today. Here David knows the
future, convinced of God’s will; yet his authority, Saul, does not see it this
way, or at least is unwilling to submit himself to the plan of God. In this
situation it might be wise for David to wait until the right opportunity shows
up, then seize upon the moment and take the throne!
This is exactly the situation we sometimes find ourselves
in. We feel directly led by the Lord to do something, purchase something, start
something, or go somewhere; however our authorities are not completely 100%
there. So, we wait for the moment to explain ourselves better, or manipulate by
seeking other authorities or leaders. We keep pounding our perspective until
the very people we want to help lead us feel like we are set to go our own way
and we won’t heed their instruction anyways. Now we have multiple issues
clouding the problem. Fear, Pride, Selfishness, Deceit… Many sins can stem from
trying to get one’s own way.
David actually had multiple opportunities where even close
friends, ones that “walk with God” suggested for him to take the throne, to
take the apparent “God given” opportunity. Instead of taking the moment and
forcing his way, or manipulating circumstances so that he could get what he
wanted, he was patient. He did not seek for people to give him the advice that
he wanted to hear; instead he faithfully depended on the Lord to lead in His
perfect timing.
The heart is what I really find the Lord is after. He wants
to know that I trust Him completely. He wants to know that I will follow and
wait for Him to lead. He wants me to really love Him more than the “gift that I
desire.” I am finding that I actually need to have the attitude of David and wait;
completely surrendered to “flee in the wilderness” until God either changes my
authorities’ hearts, or completely changes the circumstances, or changes my
heart. But God never works apart from authority. Will we surrender to the Lord
all our heart’s desires?
