One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 58:11. A friend pointed me to this verse and it sooths my soul as it speaks of God as our constant Guide in life. “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” I love the image and truth that His guidance leads me to places where He will fulfill my needs in spite of my circumstances and that I will perceive my existence as that of a well-watered garden. A well watered garden is one that is loved and cared for, nurtured in and out of season. My God treats me like that! God being my guide in life is one of the most profound characteristics of God. He takes a personal interest in His creation = that is me and you!
Here are some other verses that speak of God’s guidance in our lives. Psalm 25:4-5 “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” As our guide, God teaches us and gives salvation to which my response is to patiently wait on God’s timing. Sometimes, not so patiently, but we know that God’s ways are not our ways and that His timing is different than ours. He sees the whole picture and knows where things are headed and in what order things need to happen. Psalm 32:8 adds another perspective, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” We can be assured that God is watching and knows what is happening in our lives! Psalm 48:14 adds another assurance to God’s guidance. “that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.” We may not understand God’s timing but we can know that it is eternal and He will never stop being our guide.
Those verses were all from the Old Testament but God continues His role as guide in the New Testament. Jesus is our guide. He spoke of himself in the gospels and showed us ways to God that we could follow. He gave us 7 ‘I AM’s in the book of John, revealing aspects of himself that show His heart, love and guidance in our lives. John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” In these 7 I AM statements Jesus revealed himself in direct ways to guide us to Him so that we can abide in Him in faith. Which of these is most meaningful to you?
God also revealed Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ return to heaven. Jesus told us about this in John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
Guide is an extremely important character trait for us to see in God. He assures us of this in both the Old and New Testaments and lets us know that it will continue until the end of time. God is forever and all His character attributes endure forever. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can be assured that God will guide me though His Word and Spirit until I come home to Him. I can rely upon Him and look to Him for guidance 24/7. Thanks be to God!
Linda
Fearless Living 