To lead, one must be led. We must be deeply aware of the need we have as leaders to hang completely on God's every word. Not everyone will always see what you see and hear what you hear. And not everyone will applaud what risks harming their present comfort, even if it is commanded by God. And some will want to set the agenda based on their fears and anxieties. But God is a master strategist.
Think of Moses. We recount the story of Moses and Israel caught between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's armies, but what we fail to mention is that it was God's doing; He deliberately led them there. He made Moses change direction to lure the enemy into a trap. It was His strategy to annihilate the opposition. Yet... The people's terrified reaction and revolt are well known.
And us? When we find ourselves in a bind, assailed from all sides, how easy it is to complain bitterly that God has, uncharacteristically, dozed off and let down His guard. That's because as long as we cling to the mistaken notion that God's sole concern is ensuring our comfort, we ignore the possibility that we've probably been strategically positioned for the annihilation of the opposition. But this calls for tenacity, faith, and sometimes hand-to-hand combat. It requires knowing what God has said and sticking to it, even in the face of the people's murmurings.
And every leader knows the constant tension between listening to one another and listening to God. But just because those around you don't see where you're going and don't see the way out doesn't mean the way out doesn't exist. Some will even accuse you of leading them into the desert to die and will prefer to return to the mediocrity they left behind when they joined your divine adventure. They give up on the idea of changing their generation and bringing about an action of God because it doesn't seem to come easily. The opposition seems enormous to them.
Consider the possibility that the difficult place where you are positioned by God today is likely only the antechamber to a resounding triumph, part of God's victory strategy. In other words, this is the time to shake yourself off, lift your head, and cross over. You may feel like the opposition is closing in on you, but you have nothing to fear; stand firm; the day will come when, if you stay the course, 'the enemy you see today you will see no more.'
