Go and take your place

Go and take your place in the temple area. 

It’s a dramatic scene.   The full council of Jewish elders has assembled for the trial of Jesus’ apostles.   But a report comes that the apostles have disappeared from the jail and are once more preaching in the Temple precincts.   Just as the angel had told them to, they took their “place,” both geographically and spiritually.

You have a place where God wants you to be as well.   Every day, you face countless decisions.   Some are immediate, like what to have for lunch or which route to take to the gas station.   Some are more long-term, like choosing a career path or deciding where to live.   And others occupy a middle ground, like deciding whether to speak to a family member about your faith or choosing to speak up about a contentious social issue.   It’s these medium and long-term decisions that God wants to help you make.   He has a place for you in this world, and he wants to help you discover it.

So how can we find our place?   The first and best way has to do with habits—the habit of inviting the Lord into our decision making and the habit of listening for the Spirit’s gentle promptings.

Neither of these habits comes easily.   We are accustomed to making our own decisions or reacting immediately to a situation rather than listening for God’s guidance.   But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.   In truth, there is no magic formula that fits all circumstances.   The only thing we can do is keep trying to get into the habit.   Over time, God’s voice will become clearer, and we’ll find our place more easily.

According to Brother Lawrence, the seventeenth-century monk behind the book The Practice of the Presence of God, “In the beginning a persistent effort is needed, . . . but after a little care, his love brings us to it.”   At every crossroad, you can take up this “persistent effort.”   In a challenging situation, pray, “Your will be done,” and spend just a moment or two to sense the Lord’s leading.   When a big decision comes up, seek God’s guidance in prayer.  Give it time.   Be patient with yourself.   Trust that God uses every effort of yours to mold you and place you exactly where he wants you.

word among us