My son loves fishing. I know very, very little about fishing, but he learned just enough at a ranch that I took him to that he is into it. If you are a parent, you may understand the subtext. In fact, if you have anyone in your life who enjoys a hobby that you don’t, you may guess what is happening. I am learning about fishing in preparation to take my son. In the process, I have recruited help; just a general request for information. I know fishing requires a pole, I know it requires a string on the pole, and I know you have to find a location to fish. Many of the in-between details are a little hazy. Here’s the thing about my request: I knew so little that I didn’t even know the right questions to ask. One particular person reached out and asked if I still needed help. Unknowingly, I said, I think I have the technical information, but some good fishing locations would be nice. I don’t know if it was the lack of confidence or something I said, but this seasoned fisher knew I didn’t need locations yet. This person started sending some basic information about the equipment. Step by step with pictures, I was directed away from certain options and shown a good brand that would grow with my son (I thought only car seats did that). I was shown that I would want the mini hooks and the certain bobbers I should get. Pictures with prices and the all-important “that’s all you need.” text.
Beyond the initial excitement and teary gratitude, I realized that this is often my conversation process with the Holy Spirit. I have a question. I go to the Bible and usually read 1-2 other books on the subject from trusted sources and pray through it. After gathering what I believe is enough information, I let God know I am ready; tell me where to use this new-found knowledge because I am golden. I expect a few learning curves and bumps along the way, but overall, I am just as over-assured as I was when the person who truly knew and was experienced in fishing reached out to me. The great news is that God is omniscient. He sees the depths of our hearts and intellect, and the Holy Spirit prays on our behalf with gentleness and kindness.
In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27
I could have had a couple of responses when I received that first picture suggesting I stay away from these kid sets or the second picture telling me what a good brand was. I could have leaned in and quickly realized I didn’t know what I was doing and needed more help, or I could have doubled down on the knowledge I thought I had and blown off additional help. The pride of the latter response would have probably ended me up stuck and ill-equipped or loaded down like a person on The Deadliest Catch. Here is the thing: I would have fallen into that latter trap of pride not too long ago. I remember praying tearful prayers over the years about humility. I was not docile and would dig my heels in without relenting. It didn’t have the right attitude or motivation behind it when I was right, so it still wasn’t correct. I was dogmatic and coarse. There is still work to do, but I am constantly thanking God for working in my heart to humble me, and I pray that He continues to transform the pride of my heart into a teachable spirit. So, it didn’t take long for me to realize that if I was getting pictures of fishing pole dos and don’ts, I needed the help. The person with the information is assisting, not accusing me of ignorance. Just as, when the Holy Spirit speaks to me about something in prayer, through the Word, or through others, it is a good sign; I need to listen.
Get wisdom—how much better it is than gold! And get understanding—it is preferable to silver. Pride comes before destruction and an arrogant spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble than to divide plunder with the proud. The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trusts in the Lord will be happy. Proverbs 16:16,18-20
Then there is trust. “The one who trusts the Lord will be happy” it says in Proverbs 16. We can put full faith in the fact that God will give us just as much as we need at the moment. I mentioned that important, “that’s all you need,” text message I got. It would be safe to say that there are a few more details, but none that make sense at this stage. I need to get set on my gear first and go from there. It is vital to develop the spiritual cues of knowing when God is speaking and when He’s calling for us to trust that more information will come when we are ready.
One of my favorite passages is in 1 Samuel 3. Samuel is sleeping in these verses and hears his name being called. He believes it is Eli the priest, but it isn’t. He goes to Eli repeatedly, and then is given the instruction to respond to God the next time he hears his name. Here is the part that always convicts my heart; Samuel responds just like he was told and says, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” The obedience on display in Samuel’s young life is amazing, and it matches the beauty of the word choice even greater. I want my heart to constantly have the posture before God of a servant who is ready to listen. After God was done, Samuel didn’t interrogate, he took the information and went back to sleep.
The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10
The Christian walk is never dull. There are always areas of growth. There are areas we were solid in that will need to be readdressed, there are blind spots that come to the forefront, there are obviously obstacles that God wants to remove. The need for spiritual development never ends, and it is a blessing that it is ongoing. Undercutting all of that is listening with humility and trusting without wavering. The Spirit will intercede when we don’t have the words. He will help us when we are unknowingly misinformed, but the quickest path to the right answer is the humble path.