[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 14/Jun/2026]
As Martin reminded us in his sermon on 24th May, we need to start by spending time with God and listening to him. Martin also mentioned 3 ways of testing what we think God is guiding us to do, laid down by Pete Grieg on the Prayer Course:
A: Advice from other people, especially more mature Christians.
B: The Bible, Of course, it is important not to take verses out of context. There is the well-known story of the man who turned to his Bible for guidance. He opened it at random and read: “And Judas went and hanged himself”. He decided to try again and read: “Go and do as he did”. Perhaps the most important guideline in the Bible is what Jesus said in Matthew 7 v12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”.
C: Common sense. I often find it helpful to write a list of pros and cons of a particular decision, then look through them and pray over them. God also expects us to use our gifts and our interests.
So what do we do when we have prayed, consulted the Bible, examined our consciences, talked it over with other Christians, used our common sense and considered our gifts and passions and still don’t know what to choose? What I tend to do is either wait and see if the way ahead becomes clearer, if the decision is not urgent, or start along a particular path and pray that if it is not the right one, God will either block the path or show me clearly that it is the wrong one. When I applied to adopt, I kept praying that if this was not God’s will, he would stop it. I’m doing the same now, as I plan to move to a retirement flat. God is faithful, and he has always given me the guidance I needed whenever I have asked for it.
Isaiah 30 v21 says: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
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Last Sunday’s reflection: The Hand That Wasn’t There by Martin Shorey
Contributed by Helen Ruffhead; © Helen Ruffhead