Go This Way!

Isaiah 30:21- Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. NKJV

Are there some narratives in the Bible that no matter how many times you read it you love it? While there may be many, one of my favorites is an account of Elisha the prophet!

The king of Syria had decided to go to war with Israel. As he made his plans to attack Israel, God revealed those plans to Elisha, the prophet. Elisha would then send a messenger to the king of Israel and let him know what the king of Syria was up to.

Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.”  Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.

2 Kings 6: 8-10 NKJV

I like that last part of verse 10. God revealed the king’s plans to Elisha on several different occasions. It appears that in the beginning, the king of Israel had to test Elisha, to see if God was really telling him the Syrians plans, but without fail, Elisha was on target! So much so, that the king of Syria wanted to know if he had a spy in his midsts!

Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?”

2 Kings 6:11 NKJV

Isn’t this hilarious? I certainly think so! God was frustrating this king and his plans so frequently, and with such accuracy, that the king asked his people to tell him which of them was for the king of Israel?

And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

2 Kings 6:12 NKJV

I’ve often wondered how the servants knew that Elisha was the culprit? What cued them on to him? How did they know it was him, but had not warned the king? How long had they known? These are all questions for Jesus when we see Him, but I find it to be an interesting part of the happenings.

This brings us to our lady in the spotlight for this blog: Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman’s name at birth was Araminta Ross. When she was 12 years old, she sustained a head injury when she tried to keep a runaway slave from being hit with a heavy object that was thrown at him. Minty, as she was called in those days, was carried to the big house, bleeding and in and out of consciousness, where she laid for the rest of that day and into the next. As a result of this injury, she lived with severe headaches and narcolepsy for the rest of her life. Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder causing the individual to fall asleep at the strangest times. She also began having vivid dreams that she attributed to God.

Harriet’s father was set free by their owner. In his will, he set Harriet’s mother and children free. But the new owner refused to honor those wishes, keeping them all in bondage. A few years later, she married John Tubman, a free man, but it is said that the marriage was not a happy marriage. Finding out that two of her brothers were about to be sold, she decided that it was time to run to freedom. Her brothers did not persevere and she ended up running to freedom alone.

But that wasn’t good enough for her. She wanted her family to live in freedom. Nineteen times she went back to get them, and she was never caught. How is that possible? Remember those dreams that she began to have?

Harriet stated that these dreams were from God. In the dreams, she would see things like places to go, places to steer away from, where to cross a river, where to hide. She had an Elisha experience as she led slaves from bondage to freedom. I’m sure those slavers wanted to know who was on her side!

When the Civil War started, she again was protected from danger and had an uncanny ability to find food, shelter, and other supplies for the Union army. She provided the Union with intelligence with the routes of the Confederate army and supplies. Yes! She was a woman whom God gave valuable information, in order to thwart the plans of the enemy!

Have you ever needed information that would thwart the devil’s plans? Maybe even information about your natural enemies being used by him? I know that He stills yet whispers to our spirits and says “go this way” or “don’t do that” or “leave early today”.

I have had many such incidents happen over the years. Sometimes He has warned me in a dream not to participate in a thing. Other times He has whispered to my heart to change my plans. He has even warned me about others, like friends and family members.

Once, our daughter wanted to go and hang out with her friends. They had a spot where they liked to gather whenever they could get together. On this particular occasion, I told her no! I absolutely refused to allow her to go although she pleaded that they had gone to this place on numerous occasions with no incidents. But on this particular day, I sensed that the Holy Spirit was telling me there would be a shooting, told her so, and would not yield. She even tried to get her dad to speak to me, but when we spoke, and I told him what I sensed in my spirit, he became as adamant as I was that she remain at home that night.

None of her friends went that night either, by the way. And the next day she received news that there had been a shooting in the exact spot they liked to hang out. God is so good! He still whispers in the ear and says go, or don’t go!

On a lighter note, it doesn’t always have to be dangers that God tells us about. It could be things as simple as Him telling us not to eat something, or not to wear a certain outfit. Yes, He can! He might tell you not to go to an event, or to go to an event. That’s how intimate the Holy Spirit desires to be with us. That’s how involved He wants to be in our lives.

The key is learning to listen to that voice! Elisha knew the voice of God, so no matter how God spoke to him (vision, dream, inward witness), he knew it was God. Harriet learned to trust the dreams, whispers, and impressions, as the voice of God. And that is what we need to do, learn to identify the voice of God as He speaks to us. You may be surprised how often He will whisper to you, “Go this way!” Wonderful Jesus!