Red Light. Green Light.

Red lights and green lights have been unusually important in this season of teaching 2 teenagers to drive. I’ll be honest: It’s a weird thing to turn your child loose in a vehicle. Waiting until they drive perfectly is unrealistic. There has to be a day when you hand them the keys. Yet the consequence of a misstep in a car can be more than any of us imagine. Many prayer warriors are birthed as middle-aged moms!It was the red and green lights that showed up in Deuteronomy 2, however, that caused me to slam on my brakes. Forget the narrow demographic of teenagers. All of us can benefit from this reminder. For context, the children of Israel had already been in the wilderness for a long time and the Lord was telling them it was time to go. What happens next seems almost too good to be true. Between the end of chapter 1 and the end of chapter 2, God tells Moses several times the approach that the children of Israel should take as they go through various foreign territories.

Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies. Deuteronomy 1:42

So be very careful. Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. Deuteronomy 2:4b-5

Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession.' Deuteronomy 2:9

I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. Deuteronomy 2:24

How often do we wonder if we should forge ahead or patiently wait? Maybe we need to be reminded that God either gives a green light or a red light. It’s either His best or it’s not. This doesn’t mean there won’t be adversity when we get the green light, but what it does mean is that if we're wise, we’ll prioritize being still before the Lord. We’ll prioritize asking His will and listening.[bctt tweet="How often do you wonder if you should forge ahead or patiently wait?"]I don’t know about you, but I take on battles all the time without asking the Lord if this is a battle I’m called to fight. Sometimes, He just wants us to tiptoe carefully along and not go all guns blazing. If you aren’t in the practice of asking God and listening, I encourage you to set aside some time each day to be in His Word. Grab the hand of a woman a few steps ahead of you in her faith and ask her to teach you how to listen. Goodness knows, we could save ourselves many wounds if we’d be willing to ask, listen, and obey. Even in those times when a battle catches us off guard, our hearts are better prepared and our Lord is gracious to those who seek Him.