The Secret of Guidance

God's guidance is essential for a Christian's life, work, and peace.

Believers need to align themselves with His will to receive His provision and avoid self-driven failures. Through Biblical examples like Abraham, Moses, and the apostles, we see the importance of seeking divine direction through prayer, studying Scripture, and trusting in God's timing. Believers are reminded to maintain pure motives, surrender personal desires, and wait patiently, as God’s will is often revealed gradually, guiding step by step. Ultimately, obedience and dependence on God assure clarity and fulfillment of His purpose.

Many children of God worry about guidance. I will offer some tips on knowing how our Father wants us to walk and the work He wants us to do. Our power and peace depend on knowing where God wants us to be and being there. We cannot exaggerate their importance.

The manna only falls where the cloudy pillar broods. But, you can certainly find it on the sands that glowed under the heavenly fire's flashing light a few hours ago. They are now shadowed by the fleecy cloud canopy. If we are where our heavenly Father wants us to be, we are sure He will provide food, clothing, and everything else. When He sends His servants to Cherith, He will make even the ravens bring them food.

How much of our Christian work has failed? It is because we have insisted on starting it ourselves. We should have sought to know what God was doing and where He wanted us! We dream bright dreams of success. We try to command it. We call to our aid all kinds of quick fixes, questionable or otherwise. At last we turn back, disheartened and ashamed. We are like children, torn and scratched by thorns, and soiled by the quagmire. None of this would have come about if only we had been, from the first, under God’s perfect guidance. He might test us, but He would not allow us to fail.

The child of God, wanting to know his Father's will, turns to the sacred Book. It restores his faith. It shows how, in all ages, God has guided those who dared to trust Him. But, they must have been as perplexed as we are now. We know how Abraham left his kin and country. With no guide but God, he crossed the trackless desert to a land unknown to him. We know how, for forty years, the Israelites were led through the red sandstone and sand of the Sinai Peninsula.

We know how, in entering the Promised Land, Joshua faced unknown lands and great, warlike nations. He looked to the Captain of the Lord's hosts, who leads to victory. We know that, in the early church, the apostles solved tough problems. They laid down principles to guide the church until the end of time. This was because the Holy Spirit revealed to them what to do and say. The promises for guidance are unmistakable. Psalm 32:8: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." This is God's promise to those whose sins are forgiven. They are more eager to see a hint of His will than horses are to feel the bit.

Proverbs 3:6: “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” This is a sure word on which we may rest. But, we must trust with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding. Isaiah 58:11: "And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong." If He did not always guide us, we could not think He could guide us at all. Life's greatest events hinge on tiny points. Like the huge rocking stones in western England. A pebble may alter the flow of a stream. The growth of a grain of mustard seed may determine the rainfall of a continent. We are bidden to seek guidance for all of life and its essentials.

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." This refers to the wilderness wanderings. The Master promises to be, to all faithful souls in their pilgrimage to the City of God, what the cloudy pillar was to the Israelites on their march to the Promised Land. These are but samples. The Bible's treasure is full of insights. They shine like stars, guiding a lost traveler at sea. The prophet sums up the heritage of the Lord's servants. He says of the Holy City, "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children." (Isaiah 54:13).

Some may think, with their timid hearts, that everyone in the Bible was helped. But, they are left without help. They seem to have faced life's mysteries. They long to know what to do. But, no angel has come to tell them. No iron gate has opened in the prison of circumstances.

Some lay the blame on their own stupidity. Their minds are blunt and dull. They cannot catch God’s meaning, which would be clear to others.

Their fear of making mistakes prevents them from understanding what is right. “Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the LORD?” (Isaiah 42:19). Yet, how do we treat our children? One child is so bright that a hint shows the way. Another, born dull, cannot grasp your meaning quickly. Do you only let the clever one know what you want? Will you not take the other upon your knee and make clear to him the confusing directions?

Does not the tiny child's distress, to know he may obey, weave a stronger bond than that which binds you to the rest? Oh, weary, perplexed, and stupid children! Believe in God's great love. Trust it. He will meet your needs and come down to your ignorance. "He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” (Isaiah 40:11). We must attend to certain practical directions to be led into the mind of the Lord.

Our Motives Must Be Pure “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness” (Luke 11:34). You have been much in darkness lately, and this passage will point up the reason. Your eye has been distracted from its primary focus. A spiritual squint has blurred your vision.

It has hindered you from seeing signs of God's will, which would have been as clear as noon. We must be very careful in judging our motives. We should search them, as the Commons' detectives search each stranger who enters. By God's grace, we are free from gross sin. But, we are still prone to the subtle workings of the self in our holiest, loveliest hours. It poisons our motives.

It breathes decay on our fairest fruit-bearing. It whispers seductive flatteries into our pleased ears. It turns the spirit from its holy purpose. The masses of iron on ocean steamers deflect the compass needle from the pole.

If there is any thought of personal gain, we can't know God's purpose for us. The door must remain firmly shut against all these if we are to hear the still small voice. We must exclude all cross-lights. Only then could we see the Urim and Thummim stones. They would brighten with God's "Yes" or darken with His "No." Ask the Holy Spirit for a single eye. Let it inspire in you one aim alone: that which drove our Lord. It let Him cry to the Father, "For we never came with flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness." Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or others. Though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ." (1 Thessalonians 2:5-6) Then, "If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light" (Luke 11:36). We must surrender our will.

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 5:30). This was the secret that Jesus practiced and taught.

He repeatedly insisted that a surrendered will was the key to perfect knowledge. “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” (John 7:17).

An extinguished will differs from a surrendered one. God does not demand that we crush our wills, like a fakir’s unused arms. He only asks that we should say “Yes” to Him. We ought to be as flexible toward Him as the willow branch is to the practised hand.

Many times, as the steamer neared the bank, I watched the little lad. He took his place beneath the poop, eyes and ears fixed on the captain. He waited to shout each word to the grimy engineers below. I often longed for my will to, as the Lord's, obey. I wanted my words to match God's, so all my lower nature might obey.

It is for the lack of this subordination that we so often miss the guidance we seek. There is a secret controversy between our will and God’s. And we will never be right till we have let Him take, break, and make. Oh! Do seek for that. If you cannot give, let Him take. If you are not willing, confess that you are willing to become willing. Hand yourself over to Him to work in you, to will and to do His own good pleasure. We must be like plastic clay. We should be ready to take any shape that the great Potter may choose. Only then can we detect His guidance.

We must Seek Information for Our Mind. This is undoubtedly the next step. God has given us these wonderful faculties of brainpower, and He will not ignore them.

In grace, He does not cancel His marvellous gifts. But, He uses them to communicate His purposes and thoughts. We must, then, feed our minds with facts and reliable information. We should learn from human experience and, above all, the Word of God. It is admirable how full the Bible is of biography and history. Hardly any crisis in our lives can match those wondrous pages. There is no book like the Bible for casting a light on the dark landing of human life.

We don’t need to run to our friends for advice. But, we should gather reliable information. It can feed and strengthen our holy thoughts and purpose. We must decide, as God shall teach us. His voice may come through sanctified common sense, using what we have learned. At times, God may ask us to act against our reason. These times are very rare. Our duty will be so clear that there can be no mistake. But, for the most part, God will speak in the results of a careful weighing of the pros and cons.

An angel rescued Peter from prison. But, after a street or two, the angel left him to consider the matter. That is the way God treats us too. He will dictate a miraculous course by miraculous methods. But when the ordinary light of reason is adequate to the task, He will leave us to act as occasion may serve.

We Must Be Much in Prayer for Guidance The Psalms have many pleas for clear direction: "Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies."” (Psalm 27:11). It is the law of our Father’s house that His children must ask for what they want.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all without reproach. And God will give it to him." In a time of change and crisis, we must pray. We should be on our knees, but also in a sweet, inward prayer. It is a spirit that constantly asks God to show His will. We seek to have His will impressed upon our spirit, like heavenly bodies on prepared paper.

The trustful believer, wrapped in prayer, may tread the deck of the ocean steamer night after night. He who points the stars will not fail to guide a soul whose only aim is to do His will.

A good prayer is to ask God to shut doors, close the way, and halt all ventures against His will at their start. From the outset, put the matter in God's hands. He will shatter any project that is not according to His holy will.

We must wait for God's plan to unfold. We should trust His impressions and His word, which His providence supports. We should also wait in silence until these three converge into one point.

Sometimes it looks as if we are bound to act. Everyone says we must act. Things are so desperate that we must. The Egyptians are behind us. Inaccessible cliffs are on our sides. The sea is in front. It is not easy at such times to stand still and see the salvation of God, but we must. Saul made the biggest mistake of his life. He compelled himself and offered a sacrifice, thinking Samuel was late in coming. God may delay to come in the guise of His providence.

There was delay before Sennacherib’s host lay like withered leaves around the Holy City. There was a delay before Jesus walked on the sea at dawn or hastened to raise Lazarus. There was a delay before the angel sped to Peter's side on the night before his expected martyrdom. God waits long enough to test patience of faith, but not a moment behind the extreme hour of need. “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:3).

It is remarkable how God guides us by circumstances. At one moment, the way may seem blocked. Then, a trivial incident occurs. It may not seem much to others. But, to the keen eye of faith, it speaks volumes. Sometimes these signs are repeated in different ways in answer to prayer. They are not random results of chance, but the opening up of circumstances in the direction in which we should walk. And they begin to multiply as we advance toward our goal, just as lights do as we near a populous town when darting through the land by night express.

Sometimes, men sigh for an angel to show them the way. That means the time has not yet come for them to move. If you do not know what you ought to do, stand still until you do. When it's time for action, circumstances will sparkle like glow worms along your path. You will be so sure you are right, when God’s three witnesses agree, that you could not be more sure though an angel beckoned you on.

Our daily life is a reliable sign of God's will. This is true when it aligns with the Spirit's promptings and the Word of God. So long as they are stationary, wait. When you must act, they will open.

A way will be made through oceans, rivers, wastes, and rocks. We often make a great mistake. We think that God is not guiding us, because we cannot see far ahead. But this is not His method. He only undertakes that the steps of a good man should be ordered by the Lord. Not next year, but tomorrow. Not the next mile, but the next yard. Not the whole pattern, but the next stitch in the canvas. If you expect more than this, you will be disappointed and get back into the dark. But, this will secure for you leading in the right way. You will acknowledge this when you review it from the hilltops of glory.

We cannot ponder too deeply the lessons of the cloud. It is given in the exquisite picture-lesson on guidance (Numbers 9:15–23).

" On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not set out ." (Numbers 9:15-19) “ Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the LORD they remained in camp; then according to the command of the LORD they set out. And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time that the cloud continued over the tabernacle abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted, they set out. At the command of the LORD, they camped, and at the command of the LORD, they set out. “They kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses.”(Numbers 9:20-23) Let us look high enough for guidance. Let us encourage our souls to wait only upon God until He gives it. Let us cultivate that meekness that He will guide in judgment. Let us seek to understand with great urgency, so we may incline ourselves to see the least sign of His will. Let us stand with girded loins and lighted lamps, prompting us to obey. Blessed are those servants. The right way will lead them to the golden city of the saints. I have waited and prayed for months. I am sure of my heavenly Father's guidance. I urge any troubled readers to wait for the Lord. He will show His will in time.