A man that won't be led by God

Reflection

Resistance to being led by God is a recurring biblical theme, from Jonah's flight in the opposite direction of his calling (Jonah 1:3) to the rich young ruler who walked away sad rather than surrender what he valued most (Mark 10:22). Refusal to be led is rarely a single dramatic rejection; more often it is a quiet, ongoing preference for self-direction over surrender, made in small decisions that accumulate over time. The reasons behind such resistance vary: fear of what obedience might cost, attachment to a particular plan or identity, or simple distrust that God's direction would actually be good. Scripture consistently portrays God's leading as ultimately for a person's good, even when it is not initially understood, with Jeremiah's well-known assurance of plans to prosper and not to harm (Jeremiah 29:11) offered originally to a people in exile who had every reason to doubt it. A story of someone unwilling to be led is not simply a cautionary tale about someone else; it is an invitation to notice the same resistance, however subtle, in oneself.

Questions to sit with

• Where in your own life are you most resistant to being led rather than leading yourself?
• What fear or attachment tends to drive that resistance?
• What would surrender in that particular area actually look like for you?

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