Have you noticed the way we plan things in our life? Most of our plans do not happen at all. Sometimes people are concerned about things that may not even come to pass. Still there are some who spend half of their time just worrying about things that are irrelevant. But, the Bible says in Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart deviseth his way but the LORD directeth his steps.”

The Bible talks about the divine direction. God has a purpose in our life for each and every one of us. God knows exactly where to take us. He knows the minute details of our life. He has the blue print for our whole life. God gave us a free will. We are capable of making good and bad choices. In order for us to be directed by God, we must choose to let Him lead. We must decide within ourselves that His way is the best and choose to lay aside our own will to follow His. Sometimes it is easier said than done, we each have our own personalities that makes it hard to surrender our will. Being led by God is a process that must be learned; just like riding a bike, it gets easier with practice and experience. The road God calls us on may not always be easy or be to our liking, but trusting him to lead us will make this road become increasingly easier.

Sometimes in hymns and sometimes in Psalms we are told that life is to be compared to a journey. To make such a journey successfully we need a guide who can lead us, who has been there before, who understands the way and who can direct us every step of the way. As we go through life, there are many times when everything is down. It seems that God has deserted us and that everything that was once lovely and beautiful in the world is now gone…many times it seems that even our faith has disappeared. Our Lord Jesus told us “I am the Way…” (John 14:6). Our Lord Jesus is the way in life and without Him there is no going. If we do not have our Lord Jesus to lead us and to guide us then life becomes something like a maze. When you come to Him, He who is the Way, promises that He will lead you and direct you and He will guide your path.

If we look in the Bible, we will find people going through situations just like us. Two such people who had gone through their trials and became shining examples of faith of God were Joseph and King David.

You all know the story of Joseph. Think about what he had gone through; he was taken by his own brothers and sold into slavery, but he remained faithful to God, he kept his faith in the only One who could see him through such an awful trial, he kept his sight on God. And God blessed him and made him the head of Potiphar’s household. When Joseph was betrayed, he got sent to prison but still kept his sight on God…..and again God blessed him, making him head of the prison. Joseph seemed to be a guy who went from bad to worse, constantly being betrayed by the people around him. There were times when he was in despair and there were times when he felt it was not possible to go on, but he kept his faith in God and eventually he became head of all of Egypt.

King David was another man who went through a lot in his life; many of his trials were his own doing. Despite his mistakes and despite all that went through during his life, King David was a man of faith. He depended on God for everything. The leadership of God in his life was a lifeline that King David held on to. Early in life, King David always strived for perfection in God, he trusted in God and tried to live his life according to God’s Word. Later in life, his declaration of God’s leadership and guidance tells us how God is the light to all who seeks Him and how God can be the strength that we need to get through our life.

God promises in the Bible that He will guide us and show us the way. “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” says our God in Psalm 32:8, and in Isaiah 46:3-4, He says,“³Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: ⁴And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” The key to unlocking God’s direction is by acknowledging Him in all our ways as illustrated in Proverb 3:5-6, “⁵Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  ⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” What a wonderful promise is our God. If we will just acknowledge God and if we just yield to His leadership and guidance, He will direct our paths. He will guide our lives. When we are in God’s direction, we are heading towards abundance.

To know God’s direction is through our prayers. Look at the prayer of King David in Psalm 25:4,” ⁴Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.” A man after God’s own heart, David was a king yet he had the time to pray to God Almighty to show him His ways and teach him His paths. God wants us to find Him, so if we will humble ourselves and ask Him in our prayers to help us, he will help us. Take God at His Word when you pray and tell our Lord Jesus you are here to ask for His directions in your life and soon you will see God coming through.

To know God’s direction is to study and learn God’s Word. Psalm119:105 says, “¹⁰⁵Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” God will never tell us to do anything that goes against His written Word. He wants us to know His ways from His Word. When we know the truth in what the Bible says, then we can easily recognize God’s plan for us. It is important that we spend time in the Word of God daily so that we do not grow proud of our own abilities and forget God’s instructions. When we get into His Word, we will begin to recognize His voice and then be able to discern what His leading is.

To know God’ direction, we must listen to His voice. Isaiah 30:21 says, “²¹And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Our Lord Jesus also said in John 10:27, ^“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” God loves to talk to us and he talks in a still small voice right in our hearts. When our heart is in the right place, we will surely hear Him speak to us.

“In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along; Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary ones’ feet, God leads His dear children along”;

“Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, God leads His dear children along; Sometimes in the valley, in the darkest of night, God leads His dear children along”;

“Tho sorrows befall us and Satan oppose, God leads His dear children along; Thru grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes, God leads His children along”;

“Away from the mire and away from the clay, God leads His children along; Away up in glory, eternity’s day, God leads His children along”;

“Some thru the waters, some thru the flood, Some thru the fire, but all thru the blood; some thru great sorrow, but God gives a song, In the night season and all the day long.”

All too often we are guilty of singing the words to this familiar Christian hymn without giving them much thought. These important words convey exactly what the Bible teaches. God works in many ways, and divine guidance operates through many channels. God guides according to the need. Sometimes we need more guidance than other times, but the wisdom of God knows just how much and what kind of guidance we need. In whatever test may come, we have the assurance of God’s guidance. He says, “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16). However, God often requires “Faith” on our part for everything to come to pass!

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