GOD GUIDES Posted 10.21.08
What do maps, textbooks, and steering wheels have in common? They provide guidance! While maps guide our travels and textbooks our minds, steering wheels guide the tires that advance our cars. So who or what is guiding you?
Consider this definition.
Guide (verb): show somebody the way; advise or influence somebody; help somebody learn something; steer something; synonyms: direct, show, steer, conduct, channel, funnel, point.
Though this verb’s appearance is minimal in God’s Word, especially compared to some others we have studied, the fact is, God loves to guide His children. He guided the Israelites through the desert (Exodus 13) and David in paths of righteousness (Psalm 23). About the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised, “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you in to all truth” (John 16:13).
God guides believers in / with:
His strength (Exodus 15:13)
His counsel (Psalm 73:24)
His hand (Psalm 139:10)
The way of wisdom (Proverbs 4:11)
Compassion (Isaiah 49:10), and
Safely (Psalm 78:53).
Unfortunately, Scripture also points out the reality that there are plenty of “blind guides” trying to steer people away from God’s best (Matthew 23:16, 24). Even the most well-intentioned Christians get side-tracked as is evidenced in Isaiah 58. God is faithful, however, and reveals within this classic chapter about fasting, several key principles to understanding God’s guidance in life.
Principle #1: God Guides the Heart First
ISA 58:1"Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.
ISA 58:2For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
ISA 58:3`Why have we fasted,' they say, `and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
ISA 58:4Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.
ISA 58:5Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
Verse one expresses clearly that rebellion and sin have become the norm with these people. The disturbing part is that the basic spiritual exercises seem to be in operation – seeking God out, eager to know His ways, asking for just decisions, eager for God to come near. However, one word changes the meaning of all their actions. The word seem. The word is seem. God saw their heart and it obviously looked very different than their outward appearances.
Having a quiet time every day, praying with your friends, and participating in every church function are not evidence of a life guided by God. They are all wonderful activities if done in truth and purity, but when done with a demanding, “God better do what I say after I check this off my list” attitude (see verse 3a), they are useless to spiritual well-being.
These people were not guided by God; they were trying to guide God. They seemed to think if they went through all the motions of fasting, praying, and other sacrificial acts they could get Him to perform as they desired. In fact, when He didn’t respond the way they wanted, they became indignant (see verse 3a again).
But God is good, and tries to gently guide them back onto the page of truth by first pointing out the results of their fasting: quarreling, exploitation, and violence. Even though they “humbled themselves” outwardly, inwardly they were obviously inconvenienced and irritated.
God’s guidance begins with a pure heart which includes pure motives, true humility, and zero preconceived ideas or demands concerning God’s response. These people’s hearts were guided by many false notions. Who or what is guiding your heart? And to what end are they guiding you? The Israelites were experiencing no victory in their self-guided spirituality, but with God as the Guide all that could change.
What about you? Will you allow God to guide you into His best?
Principle #2: God Guides to Freedom
ISA 58:6"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
For a nation with so much slavery in their history, Israel seemed to forget the past. Our God is a God of freedom; and not only does He free us from sin and personal bondages, but He longs to guide us in providing freedom for others.
Our personal freedom begins with salvation. Every person on the face of the earth is bound by the chains of sin and needs to be released. Jesus alone provides such liberty. The cross and the empty tomb enable all who believe to be free spiritually.
When Jesus is Lord of your life, He then guides you through a journey of daily freedom from all that is not His best. Good choices are required, but He promises to never leave us in the process.
Verse 6 can also be interpreted as an encouragement to help others find spiritual freedom in Christ. Sharing the gospel in words is helpful, but sometimes sharing the good news through our lives can be even more effective. How is that done practically? It varies for each one of us but can include a simple act of kindness toward a neighbor who is overworked or a friend who is being treated unfairly. In verse 9, where this principle is repeated, a kind word as opposed to accusations, gossip, or the like provides another measure of freedom. On a larger scale, the Lord calls some to pursue political office or legal aid in order to further godly justice.
Our walk with God should be marked by a love for freedom. In what way are your freedoms threatened? Who or what brings oppression in your life? What about those around you? A heart guided by God maintains an awareness of the need for freedom and allows the Spirit to guide daily unto specific actions toward that end.
Principle #3: God Guides to Compassion
ISA 58:7Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Verse 7 seems to speak to individual compassion. “When you see…” indicates that God will bring people or situations into our lives for the express purpose of guiding us to a place of compassion. World hunger and homelessness may be too broad for us to impact (though some are definitely called to that ministry), but your child’s friend with a difficult home life or your co-worker who is struggling to make ends meet may be God’s opportunity for you. The key to compassion is being led by the Spirit. No one can do it all. Even the Good Samaritan of Jesus’ parable (Luke 10) found someone else (the innkeeper) to provide extended care for the injured man. God’s guidance reveals each one’s individual role. How is He guiding you to extend His compassion today?
Principle #4: God Guides to Fullness of Life
ISA 58:8Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
ISA 58:9Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
ISA 58:10and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The visual is obvious: when we submit to God’s guidance of our heart, the fullness of life breaks forth. These verses describe a life of light, healing, righteousness, God’s glory, and answered prayer, but the path to get there must be marked by a pure heart, freedom, and compassion. Of course it is important to note that the full life does not necessarily mean wealth, fame, and/or uninterrupted bliss. Spiritual success remains the goal and the prize. Often when our life feels empty, boring, or insignificant it is simply because we are being wrongly influenced. God’s guidance will always lead to a sense of accomplishment, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Principle #5: God Guides to Growth
ISA 58:11The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
ISA 58:12Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Growth in the Lord as described in these verses includes satisfaction, strength, and restoration with God’s promise to guide us through it always. Our problem is the continual focus on earthly growth as opposed to spiritual. We get bogged down seeking bigger congregations, larger sums of money, and increased acceptance by all when God looks to guide us to a much deeper, eternal reality. He longs for each individual to be all He wants him/her to be. He wants to heal the broken hearts, restore the fractured spirits, and breathe fresh life everywhere! Then as His children develop, He enables them to help others discover the same.
Principle #6: God Guides to Rest
ISA 58:13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
The previous verses involve quite a bit of activity, but God always guides to a place of rest as well. He did not create the Sabbath to put us in bondage to religious work, which is what it has become in many Christians’ lives. Likewise, He never intended for us to barrel forward in life day after day without stopping to take a breath, the other extreme taken concerning the Sabbath. A day set apart for Him, for His rest, and for His honor will guide you fully to the last principle discussed here.
Principle #7: God Guides to Joy
ISA 58:14then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
The implication is clear in verse 14 that we will not find the joy we so desire unless we allow God to guide us in these ways. But when we allow Him to steer, He reaches heights we never could and provides a feast unavailable in any other way. It is His promise.
Who do you believe? Who is guiding you?
GOD GUIDES
Read Exodus 13-15 and write down insights concerning God’s guidance of the Israelites.
Read the following Psalms and write down lessons learned about God’s guidance.
How do these passages apply to God’s guidance in your life personally?
Psalm 25
Psalm 31
Psalm 43
Psalm 48
Psalm 67
Psalm 73
Psalm 139