Day 7: Waiting On His Direction

In 1 Corinthians 11:3 we find a chain of authority that starts in heaven and ends in the family. God is the head of Jesus Christ, Christ is the head of the husband, the husband is the head of the wife. I believe that is the divine pattern of government. It’s government by headship.

What does it mean to be under headship? Let us first look at two passages in John’s gospel that give us the perfect pattern. You will see that the Father makes the decisions, He initiates the actions and gives ongoing direction.

We will look at John 5:19 –20 to start with. Remember, we’re looking at this as a pattern of what it means to be under headship because Jesus was under the headship of the Father. Jesus says in John 5:19:

“Most assuredly I say to you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do: for whatever he [the Father] does, the son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the son and shows him all things that he himself does: and he will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.”

Notice the Son initiates nothing. He does nothing of Himself. He only does what the Father initiates. And He follows the pattern that the Father has set. I invite you to study the ministry of Jesus and I believe you’ll find there’s not one exception anywhere. Jesus never initiated anything. Always the initiative came from the Father. This question of initiative is very important.

Then we look in John 5:30. Jesus is speaking again, He says:

“I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me.”

So again, He says I can of myself do nothing. I am not the one that initiates anything. And He said that’s not merely true in what I do but it’s true in the judgments I make. He says my judgment is righteous, it’s reliable, it’s accurate because I don’t judge anything myself. I only receive the Father’s judgment.

I have learned the hard way that it’s very unwise to make our own judgments. When I’m confronted with a situation, I have to acknowledge that I’m one of those people who immediately think of about three different ways to handle it. And only by long practice have I learned not to make my own judgments but to wait and hear what God has to say. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble and heartache if you will not jump in and do the first thing you think of but wait to hear the Lord’s judgment. And it takes humility and patience to wait for the Lord’s judgment.