Need a Little Guidance? - Martin Wiles

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:21 NLT

I knew the way, but they didn’t.

My wife and I camped with my brother and sister-in-law in a nice little campground. On the second day, my brother, sister-in-law, and I decided to walk the 1.75 nature trail at the campsite. While doing so presented no challenge for me, it did for my brother. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age forty, had had two surgeries, and had had a wreck that caused spinal damage. He and I once hiked easily in the mountains, but now he struggled to walk short distances—and couldn’t without braces, a cane, and assistance from his wife.

“Don’t wait on us,” he said as we began the trail. So, I didn’t. I walked ahead, enjoying the beautiful day, relishing time alone, and identifying trees along the way. Due to storm damage, park rangers had rerouted one section of the trail, but arrows pointed the right way. Toward the end of the trail, I came to a split with trail arrows pointing both ways. Hearing voices nearby, I supposed the left would take me to the campground—and it did. My wife picked me up, and I returned to our campsite to rest and shower.

Time passed. Nothing from my brother and sister-in-law. I texted her. Tried to call her. Nothing. Finally, I received a picture from her. “Do you recognize this?” she asked. The picture showed a trail sign. They had a way to go. I knew they too would approach the split in the trail and wouldn’t know which way to go, so I told them. I could guide them because I had already traversed where they hadn’t.

Though God’s people often rebelled against Him, He promised to guide them when they asked for His help. He would show them the right way. And He could. After all, He was God.

I knew what my brother and sister-in-law didn’t know. The same holds true with God in life. He has a plan for us. We may veer off the trail, as my brother and sister-in-law did at one point, but God lovingly redirects our steps when we ask Him.

God sees the entire trail at one time, whereas we can only see what’s directly ahead. He knows the obstacles ahead and how to guide us around them or how to help us encounter them in the best way. Through His still small voice, His Word, and others, God shows us the right trails to take in life.

Don’t muddle through life, depressed and disappointed because you don’t know where you are going or why. Let God show you the way He has designed for you to walk.

Prayer: Father, we trust You to give us the guidance we need to maneuver the trails of life.

Tweetable: From where are you getting guidance? 

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