Guidance For Spouses And Families
Should the Lord ask a single person or a parent to pursue a risky course of action, is it likely that he would speak with equal clarity to each? I think not. All other things being fairly equal, a spouse or parent has more responsibility and the results of their mistake affects their family. A single person who refuses to provide for himself may starve. However, a parent who refuses to provide for their family may cause the starvation of their entire family – and, so, denies the faith, becoming worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim 5:8).
Moses was a spouse and parent when the Lord asked him to go to Egypt to speak to Pharoah. God gave him 7 dramatic signs to make His will clear. Gideon was a family man when the Lord asked him to undertake a risky course of action (Judg 8:19-20). Prior to Gideon taking a step an angel appeared to him, consumed an offering with fire, and supernaturally disappeared. He was also given 2 signs with a fleece and the Midianite’s dream. Abram was asked to take his wife and leave the relative safety of Haran (Acts 7:2; Gen 12:1). Yet, before things got really risky with a famine, the Lord appeared to Abram (Gen 12:7 cf. 9-10). Before Jacob took his family to Canaan, he had revelation from his wives (Gen 31:14-16), from Laban (Gen 31:2), from Laban’s sons (Gen 31:1), from God’s miraculous provision before he departed (Gen 31:8-12, and NAB note), from God Himself in some other form (Gen 31:3), and from Laban’s dream (Gen 31:29). Peter, too, was married when Jesus called him to leave his business (Mt 8:14-15). With Peter also, the Lord showed he was to take the risk through a dramatic sign (Lk 5:1-11).
Our Father takes the responsibilities of spouses and parents very seriously. It seems that the greater the risk to the family, the clearer the revelation will be. If you have been in the wilderness for 38 years, don’t presume to go to Egypt without very clear revelation. It may not be time. Likewise, we should normally expect obvious confirmed revelation – not a mere impression – if He really is asking us to pursue a direction that is potentially disastrous for our family.
When God wants a couple or family to alter course, the revelation is normally clear.