How do you discern the Lord’s mind? We know his general will for our lives, but in discerning his mind, how does he speak through his word, or does he have other avenues of communication?

This text is from a transcript of a talk by David Gooding, entitled ‘The Problems of Becoming and Being a King’ (1990).

Guidance that comes to us with circumstances or other means must always be controlled and considered and evaluated by our moral judgment. 'The Spirit of Jesus', says the Acts of the Apostles, didn't allow the apostles at one stage to do this, that and the other (see Acts 16:7). By naming the Spirit there 'the Spirit of Jesus', it is surely saying, among other things, that the Holy Spirit will never guide you to do anything that is morally contrary to the character of the Lord Jesus. And the Holy Spirit will, having indited¹ the word of God himself, will never lead us to do things against the word of God. He doesn't contradict himself.

I want to say that there might be further reaches of knowing the Lord. The famous one that was always preached to me in my youth (and still is, and rightly so) is what Paul says in Philippians 3:10: 'that I may know him'. Surely Paul already knew the Lord? Here is another avenue of knowing the Lord. And when he talks about it he says,

that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own. (Philippians 3:10–12)

He says that he has not yet obtained it, but 'I follow on to know'. So here there is a deeper sense of coming to know the Lord. And it is noticeable that the knowledge that is thus obtained seems to be also through personal experience, sharing in a sense in the Lord's sufferings, the power of his resurrection and so forth. So it isn't just theory.

These are the further reaches of getting to know the Lord. It seems to me that it is worth observing if we are to know God as a living God. And because he is a living God, he will want constantly to lead us on in the knowledge of the Lord.

If I were to say, 'Yes I know the Lord.'

'Oh do you, Gooding? You know the Lord? How is that?'

'Well, I trusted the Lord fifty-five years ago, and then I got to know the Lord.'

Well yes, surely I did, but please God I may have progressed a little bit and know the Lord in an ongoing way.

Secondly, when it comes to knowing, I agree with it one hundred per cent that we know God basically through his word. We must check all other claims to know him, or be led by him, through his word. But then I can't forget the two on the road to Emmaus and their marvellous Bible readings. The Lord took them through the Scriptures that they had read many times. They had never seen the Lord like that before, and their hearts began to burn because this was the Lord manifesting himself to them.

Now, that doesn't happen to me every time I open Scripture. I have to go on in faith, and learn Scripture, and try to obey it. And no visions come, so to speak, and I must work hard at it. But surely there do come times for us all when the Lord fulfils his promise: 'I will manifest myself to you.' We don't see visions and things like that, but am I not right? Do you not have the experience from time to time? It may be a simple verse you've read a thousand times, or a new insight into Scripture, and you know it in your heart that it is the Lord that has spoken. The Lord has showed himself to you; he has manifested himself to you. So it has been a different thing from studying your Ford car handbook that you can understand through and through without any clouds of glory descending upon you. Through Scripture, maybe, the Lord has drawn near and spoken to you.

¹ That is, to be composed or written.