God who guides
Psa
31:3
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead
and guide me.
In
the 9th meditation we did consider the God who leads but the emphasis
there was on God who initiates and opens a way ahead. This verse has
a slightly different emphasis. Many people have written books on God's
guidance; it is a big subject and it is because when we become God's
children we want God to show us the right way ahead. We want to know
how God wants us to live, what He wants us to do. Making decisions
is a major part of life and Christians want to know who to marry,
what career to follow, where to live, and so on. The assumption is
that God will guide us. An old hymn goes, ‘Guide me O thou great Jehovah'.
We want to be led. We want God to lead us.
Now
when we come to this song of David's, he first of all gives us a reason
why he expects God to lead him. Notice the starting word, ‘Since'.
Because you are this, he reasons, I expect you to do that. Now we
have considered God as rock and fortress, a place of security and
so what David is saying here is, since you are the one who provides
my complete security, to ensure that that happens every moment of
my life, I need to know you leading and guiding me.
Imagine
the pilot of a ship approaching the land. He's been taken out to the
ship from the land. He knows the land and, more important, he knows
the shape of the coast here. So he's taken out to the ship to guide
it into shore, guide it into harbour. He will guide it through the
shoals, he will guide it between the rocks so that it is not harmed.
He sees it safely into the shore. That's what God's guidance is all
about. It is about guiding us in such a way that we know we are safe
and secure in His hands. Security comes from knowing that we are in
the hands of the all-knowing, all-powerful, God
of love. Put those three characteristics together and they
spell ‘security'.
After
God had led Israel through the Red Sea and killed Pharaoh and his
army, and Moses and the people sang a song of triumph. In it they
sang, “In your unfailing love you
will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you
will guide them to your holy dwelling.” (Ex 15:13 ), They
were able to sing about the future because of what had just happened
in the recent past. Note the two characteristics they highlight -
love and strength (or power). They feel secure because of the way
God had led them out of Egypt. Now He guided them: “By
day the LORD
went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud
to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give
them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the
pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place
in front of the people”
(Ex 13:21,22). Yes they knew God as their Guide and they felt secure.
Centuries
later Nehemiah's Levitical team declared God's goodness:
“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in
the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide
them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the
way they were to take.” (Neh 9:19). Israel knew God was
their guide. The psalmists sung of God guiding them with His truth
(Psa 25:5, 43:3) and with His counsel (Psa 73:24). Isaiah prophesied
that God would guide the blind so they could see (Isa 42:16) and that
He would lead His people into places of refreshing (Isa 49:10). Guidance
was part of the ‘restoration package' promised by the Lord (Isa 57:18).
Oh yes, God guides His people into goodness, into a place of safety
and security. It is good to be guided by God!