The Promise Of Direction

The Promise of Direction

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

GOD SEES EVERYTHING. He knows every detail about our circumstances. He sees the options we have and the paths we should take. He knows the obstacles and challenges we will face, the fruit that will come from our choices, and the purposes he wants us to fulfill. Like an eye in the sky looking down on the full parade, he sees the whole route, the front and back of the line, and all the participants and observers involved. He has no lack of understanding.

We do, of course. We see our little corner of the world, and even that is an incomplete picture. We try on different options to see how they feel, imagining this or that outcome, weighing our pros and cons, and figuring out which path to take. Our thought processes sometimes cause considerable anxiety, and sometimes they paralyze us in inaction. But we want to know. We need to take a step in one direction or another. We need the perspective of the one who sees it all.

God promises exactly that. We may not see everything he sees, but he does promise to guide us from his omniscient perspective. But we have to ask for guidance, and to do that requires humility. When we pray for his wisdom and understanding, we are confessing that we can’t depend on ours. When we pray for direction, we are admitting we don’t know which way to go. When we decide to trust God, we have to stop trusting ourselves. We embrace humility in order to receive all that he wants to give.

God honors that kind of humility. Throughout Scripture and history, he has resisted the proud and been drawn to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). When his people give up their own wisdom and ask for his, he rushes in with his answers. Even when we don’t see the right path to take, he directs our steps anyway (Proverbs 16:9). If we take a wrong step, he patiently puts us back on track. We can pray with extreme, unshakable confidence that he will always get us where we need to go.

Deep in your heart, it is not guidance you want so much as a guide.