Permit me to use myself as an example of being led by the Spirit, since I am totally in awe that the Lord would speak to a person like me.

One spiritual communication with God that changed my life occurred after a college chapel service while I was praying with a young woman. The Lord began to speak to me in a very concrete way: “This is the ­woman you will marry someday.” I hardly knew this woman, and my first impressions were rather negative. But the Lord had a special companion in mind for me, and year after year she has proven to be his perfect gift.

While serving as a pastor in Ohio, I received a call from a church in Prinsburg, Minnesota. I had never pictured myself living in a rural farming community where the stores are 15 miles away, so I declined the call. But the church was convinced that I was going to be their pastor. During this time I took my kids to a movie, and in the middle of the story, the Lord spoke to my spirit, pointing out that Prinsburg is beautiful to him. Our time in Prinsburg proved to be among the best years of our life.

Some years later during a Promise Keepers meeting in Atlanta, the Lord spoke to me about another calling. During the Lord’s Supper one evening, the Lord said to me, “Get ready, you are going to teach at Calvin Seminary.” And two years later that happened.

I’m thankful for these opportunities, and they remind me to keep in step with the Spirit.