“Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths…
Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way”
Psalm 25:4, 8
“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’
My heart says to you,
‘Your face, O LORD, do I seek.’”
Psalm 27:4
“I did not speak in secret,
in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
‘Seek me in vain.’
I the LORD speak the truth;
I declare what is right.”
Isaiah 45:19
At times I forget how clearly our God guides us. He doesn’t leave us here to guess our way through or figure things out on our own. He gives wisdom, without reproach, to those who ask Him. And He affirms His direction, giving peace and assurance in exactly the ways we need them.
“And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16). Even if we feel utterly blind and in the dark, we are faithfully led. Our way is created before our feet. Not to say it will always be easy and without obstacles, but we can be confident that our Lord has already tread the path we are walking. He carved it out Himself.
Something I needed reminding of today is that my reality is not defined by what I see in front of me or what I feel is possible. My reality is that the God who made and rules all things knows my name and all of my ways. It is He who has written my days. It is He who has plans and purposes for my life, which are good and hope-filled and God-glorifying—and that last detail means they must be a lot bigger than me and a lot more than I could accomplish alone, or else He wouldn’t get all the glory.
It is this God who goes before me, preparing the way. It is this God who is my rear guard, ensuring that I am kept on all sides in His steadfast love and faithfulness. It is this God whose Spirit is at work, right now, within me—renewing me each day to more purely reflect His character, bringing me from strength to strength, and making me into the vessel He has designed and uniquely purposed for His glory.
When Jesus was preparing to leave this earth, He told His disciples, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:12-13a). If Jesus had any doubt about the Spirit’s ability to clearly convey truth and counsel, He wouldn’t have left the “many things” unsaid. It is the Spirit of God who came, and our God knows us. He knows how to speak clearly. He knows what will get our attention. So we don’t need to scramble or feel like we’re searching in vain.
Seasons of waiting are not rare…God’s direction may not come on our timeline. But it will come. Our God will lead us at His perfect pace and in His perfect way. Our task is to keep seeking Him, humbling ourselves, giving Him our dreams and goals and fears, and taking each step in faith. And as we walk, we fix our eyes on Him, listening for the clear, sure voice of our Shepherd.
“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’
when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”
Isaiah 30:21
“The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.”
Psalm 37:23-24
In Pleasant Places 