He's Still Leading
When I take Maverick hiking, he needs to be in front.It’s not enough to walk with me, he wants to lead the expedition.He’ll charge down the trail with that confident little stride, convinced he’s blazing a brand-new path through the wilderness. He’s not following Dad anymore, HE is the adventurer.
And honestly, I get it. I love that spirit in him.But without fail a few minutes later I have to call out,
“Hey, bud, This way!”
It’s not rebellion, really. It’s just that he stopped following and started leading. Even though he doesn’t actually know where we’re going.
And that’s exactly what I do with God.
This morning I read Psalm 60 in my morning time and this verse slapped me in the face
“You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be unfurled against the bow.” — Psalm 60:4
In ancient warfare, a banner was a rallying point, a visible marker lifted high so soldiers could regroup and if they found themselves lost - they could reunite with the leader.
That’s when it hit me:
I’m great at responding when He calls me into something new. I’ll say yes, take the leap, and start walking in faith. I’m great at gathering around the banner for the big speech before the battle and screaming YES!!! I’m with you!But before long, I get caught up in the adventure, the building, the dreaming, the doing, and I find myself out in front again. I’m moving fast, managing the mission, thinking I’m helping by keeping things on track.
And then comes the moment when I realize I don’t actually know where the next turn is.
And anxiety creeps in - the voices of my inadequacy get loud. What have I done? Why would He call me? Maybe He didn’t.Because just like Maverick on the trail, I’ve shifted from trusting the One who knows the way to trying to be the one who does.
This morning, that’s where Jesus met me. Not with correction, but with kindness. Just a calm reminder:
“I didn’t stop leading after you said yes. I’m leading right now. The banner’s still up.”
He reminded me that He didn’t send me to Africa to raise the banner.He raised the banner in South Africa and invited me to come to it, to be restored beneath it.
The banner isn’t my project.It’s His rally point, even in the middle of the battle, even when the arrows are still flying.He raises it against the bow so I’ll have something to look up to when I start drifting into self-sufficiency and I’m lost in the inferior impact of MY leading.
And when I choose to rally there, when I stop striving to lead and simply follow, peace replaces pressure. My spirit realigns. And somehow, the people around me see it too. They recognize that calm confidence that only comes from trusting the One who still leads the way.
As I think about this season, about Cape Town and everything it represents, I realize this isn’t just a word for me. It’s a word over me.
The banner Jesus raises isn’t behind me as a memory of what He’s done.It’s in front of me, waving against the bow, saying, “Follow Me here.”
Every time I respond to that invitation, every time I stop trying to control the outcome and instead rally to His presence, it draws others. It invites hope.It says, “Jesus is still leading.”
My Prayer
Jesus, thank You for raising Your banner over me, not just in victory, but in battle.When I start to take over, remind me to look up.You are the rally point when I feel scattered, the peace when I feel pressure, the love that leads me forward.I choose to rally to You today and let others see Your banner in my life.