God's Guidance

One summer, years ago my brother-in-law and I decided that we wanted to go fishing.  However, since I am not a fisherman and he was from out of state, he said, “Let’s hire a Fishing Guide.  They know where the fish are located.”  Since we had no idea where the best fishing was on the particular lake we had chosen, that’s what we did.  I was impressed with the guide because he knew where to go, what kind of fish we might find in that location, the right kind of bait to use, and the right time of the day to put our lines in the water.

As I thought about having a guide for catching fish, my thoughts turned toward the scriptures and its focus on God being our guide.  God must have a deep concern for us because the Bible often speaks about guidance.  The prophet Isaiah wanted us to know that that God’s guidance is always available for us.  He said, “The Lord will guide you always…” (Isaiah 58:11).  In addition to this there are additional places in the Bible that point to God’s guidance.

1. When we desire understanding and want to be practical or sensible God says, “I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths” (Proverbs 4:11).
2. The words of God and His wise council are part of God’s guidance when the Scripture says, “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory” (Proverbs 23:74).
3. As we live from day to day, we discover that God’s words are always there to give us direction.  “When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you” (Proverbs 6:22).
4. When looking for that which is true, we are given specific guidance.  “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13)

Even though we may not be aware of God’s guidance, as children of God we can have complete confidence that He is vitally concerned that we have the direction we need as we seek to bring honor and glory to Him.