Guidance

by L.A. Hickling, Cromer, U.K. | Category: General | Aug 1984

Most of us have had the experience of walking in unfamiliar surroundings and coming to a place where the road divides. We hesitate, unsure of the way we should take, realizing, perhaps, that a wrong decision may take us well off course. We feel the need of guidance - a wayside guide post, or better still, someone to walk beside us and show us the way. It's like that too in Christian experience. We reach points when we hardly know which way to go and we realize that what Jeremiah said is very true, "It is not for man to direct his steps" (10:23). No, the only safe way is to allow God to do it. Psalm 48 begins with a reference to the Almighty God of heaven and ends with these words, "This God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end" (v.14). What a tremendous thing that is. The great God of heaven who has all knowledge and all power is willing to guide us through the perplexing paths of life.

From the first God intended His relationship with man to be like this, and in the garden of Eden He communed with man and instructed him in the way he should go. But man chose not to listen and to go his own way, with disastrous consequences. So now, to refuse the guidance of God is to head for disaster. The Christian life should be characterized by willingness to accept the guidance of God. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5, 6). The promise is plain. God will show the right path but we must acknowledge Him and trust Him to guide us into it.

Perhaps we wonder, how does God make His will known to us? Evidently, before Adam sinned, God spoke directly to him as also in some way He spoke directly to Noah to tell him what he should do in view of the coming great catastrophe. Peter was given a vision in which God gave him direction to take a course of action which he would never have taken of himself(Acts 10:19). So in those days God directed men in different ways. Today we have the complete Scriptures as our guide. The word of God is a light to our feet and a lamp for our path (Psa. 119:105). So we must see that any course of action we propose accords with the word of God. If it does not, then it is the wrong course for us. That much is plain. But supposing we hesitate between two ways, both of which are in line with God's word. What then? We must take it to the Lord in prayer and the Holy Spirit who is within will guide us. Perhaps the way God orders our circumstances will make it plain. In any case, as we commit the matter to Him we trust Him to indicate His way to us. He has promised to do that. And, on our part, when He has shown us the way, we must not turn aside from it. "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way" (Psalm 25:9).

(Scriptural quotations are taken from the N.I.V.).

L.A. Hickling, Cromer, U.K. | Aug 1984
General