Before You Lead, Learn to Stand Before God

The Hidden Life That Gives Leadership Its Spiritual Authority

Rev. Dr. Samuel D. Stephens

“The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”
— Exodus 33:11

One of the greatest dangers of leadership is that we can become so accustomed to standing before people that we neglect the importance of standing before God.

Leaders are expected to speak, decide, direct, and act. Our days are filled with responsibilities, conversations, expectations, and demands upon our time. Gradually, almost without realising it, the urgency of leadership can begin to displace the intimacy of our relationship with God.

But Scripture presents a different order.

Before Moses stood before Pharaoh, he encountered God at the burning bush. Before he guided Israel through the wilderness, he learned what it meant to depend upon the presence of the Lord.

In Exodus 33, following Israel’s grievous failure with the golden calf, Moses faced a defining moment. God had promised that the people could continue their journey toward the land of promise. Yet Moses understood that reaching the destination without God’s presence would be a hollow achievement.

He responded:

“If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
— Exodus 33:15

What a remarkable declaration!

Moses valued God’s presence more than the successful completion of his assignment.

He recognised that the distinctiveness of God’s people did not lie in their numerical strength, military capability, or organisational effectiveness. It lay in the presence of God among them.

I have often reflected on how relevant this is to contemporary Christian leadership.

We can become highly skilled at managing institutions, mobilising resources, and implementing strategies. We may even achieve impressive results. But spiritual authority is not the same as organizational authority.

A position may give us the right to make decisions. Competence may earn us respect. Yet neither can substitute for the wisdom, humility, and discernment cultivated through communion with God.

The deepest preparation for public leadership often takes place in the hidden encounters of our private spiritual lives.

This is not an invitation to withdraw from responsibility. It is a call to establish the right foundation for exercising it.

The question, therefore, is not simply:

“Am I prepared for the responsibilities before me?”

It is:

“Am I cultivating the relationship with God that will sustain me through those responsibilities?”

So, make room for silence. Listen before speaking. Pray before deciding. Allow Scripture to examine your motives and reshape your priorities.

And never confuse constant activity with spiritual fruitfulness.

For the leader who has learned to stand humbly before God is better prepared to stand faithfully before people.

Until the Next…

May we learn to seek God’s presence before seeking public success.