Henry Cloud - God Will Make a Way: What to Do When You Dont Know What to Do

GOD
WILL MAKE
A WAY

GOD WILL MAKE A WAY

Copyright 2002 by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.

Published in Nashville, TN, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

HELPING PEOPLE WORLDWIDE EXPERIENCE the MANIFEST PRESENCE of GOD.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in association with Yates & Yates, LLP, Literary Agents, Orange, California

Cover and Interior Design: David Uttley
UDG | DesignWorks
www.udgdesignworks.com

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Other Scripture quotations are taken from the following sources:

The New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers. Used by permission.

The Living Bible (TLB), copyright 1971, by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois. Used by permission.

New American Standard Bible (NASB), copyright 1960, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation.

The King James Version of the Bible (KJV).

ISBN 10: 1-59145-008-X (HC)
ISBN 13: 978-1-59145-008-5 (HC)
ISBN 10: 1-59145-429-8 (IE)
ISBN 13: 978-1-59145-429-8 (IE)

Printed in the United States of America
07 08 09 10 11 RRD 7 6 5 4 3 2

DEDICATION

TO ALL THOSE
WHO ARE LOOKING FOR GOD
AND THE WAY
THAT HE PROVIDES FOR US.

CONTENTS

1. Principle One:
Begin Your Journey with God

2. Principle Two:
Choose Your Traveling Companions Wisely

3. Principle Three:
Place High Value on Wisdom

4. Principle Four:
Leave Your Baggage Behind

5. Principle Five:
Own Your Faults and Weaknesses

6. Principle Six:
Embrace Problems As Gifts

7. Principle Seven:
Take Life As It Comes

8. Principle Eight:
Love God with All You Are

AS ALWAYS, we are grateful to a number of peoplepersonally and professionallywho helped us in the development and writing of this book:

Byron Williamson, President of Integrity Publishers, for his vision for this project and his shared desire to make the spiritual life practical. Without his responsiveness to both our needs and the needs of the organizations and ministries with which we work, this project would have had no legs.

Joey Paul, Publisher of Integrity, for helping to shepherd the editorial process in a way that hopefully makes our ideas usable to readers. His tireless efforts and availability when we needed him is very much appreciated.

Rob Birkhead, Marketing VP of Integrity, for his creative direction on the book cover and interior design, as well as the marketing and promotion campaign.

Sealy Yates, our agent, for his faithful stewardship over all of our work. Without him our publishing would certainly have been different and probably not as fun.

Maureen the Queen, Jodi, Kevin, Raul, and Graceour home team at Cloud-Townsend Resources who were there for the process of this book coming to fruition. We so appreciate the fervor with which you strive to bring Gods principles to so many people. Your passion for growth is contagious and motivates us to always do our best.

Janet Williams, our resident Zookeeper who juggles all the pieces for us. Without her, we might be lost at sea.

Steve Arterburn and Mike Marino, who make things work at New Life Live. You are part of how God makes a way for many people.

Dennis Beausejour, director of Answers for Life, a special thank you from Henry for your partnership in ministry and the passion and commitment that drives you to take a loving God to the neighborhoods of America.

The Answers for Life Staff, for their commitment to growth and to helping tell many people that God Will Make a Way. You model how He does that.

The Stakeholders of Answers for Life deserve a special thanks for joining with us in our mission. Your friendship and efforts are much appreciated.

Liz Heaney, our editor, for her clarity, direction, and support.

Don Moen, for his inspirational song, God Will Make a Way, whose title and message are shared in this book.

And to Mike Coleman, the President of Integrity Media, Inc., for his vision and support of a new publishing endeavor, Integrity Publishers.

PROLOGUE :
We All Need a Way

I was almost four years old when the pain began. I (Henry) vividly recall the day it started, a Sunday. We had been at church, and the Sunday school teacher had to summon my parents to get me out of class because my leg hurt so badly. She had tried to help all she could, but there was little else for her to do. What we were soon to learn, however, was that there was little that my parents could do either. The pain would not go away.

From what my parents tell me, and from what I am able to recall, the next few months were pretty tough on everyone. When the pain got so bad that I began waking up in the middle of the night crying, my parents took me to the hospital. Unfortunately, the doctors did not exactly know what to do either, and I was hospitalized for weeks while they tried to figure it out. All they knew was that I was complaining of pain in my leg, but they could find nothing wrong. Since there was no external injury, something had to be wrong internally. But everyone was at a loss.

Finally, they sent me home and began to figure out the next step. I now know they were considering some pretty drastic options, including the possibility of amputation. Mercifully, my parents and the doctors kept me in the dark about the potential seriousness of my condition.

For my mother, this was one of the most difficult times that shed ever been through. Daily, hourly, she had to watch as her little boy suffered, while she stood by helpless to relieve my pain. Both she and my father were deeply afraid that something was very seriously wrong and that it would go undetected until something horrible happened. At first, my mother could only cry and plead with God to help.

My parents did not attend healing services or expect miracles to happen every day. Yet they were people of faith, having learned in their own journey that, when your back is up against the wall and you pray and seek his help, God will make a way through the trial. So it was not unusual for them to lean on God for help in a tough time. This situation was particularly tough, though, because it involved their being powerless to help their own child. As a parent of two young girls, I can only now begin to identify with the pain they must have been feeling as they watched me suffer.

My parents prayed every day even though their emotions were in tumult. They did not understand why a happy, healthy little boy would suddenly be looking at the prospect of losing a normal life. It didnt seem fair. What had they, or I, done to deserve this? Yet as they prayed, they felt a certain steadiness inside, despite the fear. And they also began to sense that they should just be willing to do whatever they had to doand that somehow, if they acted and did all they knew to do, God would come to their assistance and make a way for them. Then something truly unusual happened.

My mother and a friend had taken me to another doctors visit, during which they were going to consider all the available options. As we sat in the waiting room, and time passed, my mother felt her fear growing. The doctor was not showing, and she just did not know what to expect. Still we waited... and waited. Then it happened.