“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”
Psalm 32:8
One of the wonderful benefits of having a covenant with our Lord is His promise to be our personal GPS. The GPS system sees everything from satellites that can guide and direct where you desire to travel. It can map out the best routes for your trip and even tell you where the hazards are on the road. When we use the GPS system in our cars it gives us the route that will get us there in the least amount of time, avoiding the worst traffic jams and providing the safest possible route. It also sees our journey from a higher perspective. It literally is beamed down from satellites orbiting the earth in outer space. The same is true with the Holy Spirit. He is our guidance system or GPS. The Lord sees where He wants us to go from a much higher perspective than what we can see. He leads us in the safest most direct path to that destination. All we must do is make sure we are listening and seeking His direction. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Every day we need to acknowledge the Lord and seek His guidance. Proverbs 16:3: “Commit thy works to the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” The Amplified Classic Version describes the verse as follows: “Roll your works upon the LORD (commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and ) so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Isn’t that wonderful to know? When we commit all of our ways to the Lord, He will establish our thoughts. Our thoughts will begin to line up with His perfect will for our lives. We may not know the exact steps to get out of debt, but as we commit it to the Lord, He will then give us ideas that had never occurred to us before. It is so important to follow the Lord’s plan for our lives. Too often people try to figure out their way through advise from others or their emotions or strategies that may not be God ideas. However, the best way to make important decisions whether major or minor, is to allow the Lord to lead and guide you. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
When we follow God’s plans for our lives, we will always come out victoriously. When we don’t listen for His direction and guidance, that’s when we can get off on the wrong path and suffer consequences. However, when we put Him first and seek Him first, then He will surely direct us in the way we should go. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mathew 6:33
When the Lord spoke to Abraham to leave his home country and his fathers house to go to a place that He would show him, it did not make sense. Abraham did not know where God was taking him. However, he followed day by day and as a result received miracle blessings in his life and positioned his ancestors for God’s divine will. Abraham took it one step at a time. God did not show him the entire plan or every step, but Abraham just stepped out in faith and followed the Lord daily.
When God gives us a word or promise, we at times try to figure out how it will come to pass. However, often, the way God brings it to pass is entirely different than we could have ever foreseen. When we trust God to lead and guide us and keep our eyes on Him, he will surely position us in the right place at the right time. He will lead us where we need to go and direct our paths. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD; and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23
When the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt to the promise land, he used a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. All they had to do was follow the cloud and the fire. However, now that Jesus has paid the price for our sins, the Lord Himself dwells in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We no longer need to follow outward signs. Instead, we have the inward witness speaking to our hearts. Sometimes it’s simply a perceiving, as with the Apostle Paul when he told the Roman Soldiers before entering the ship: “…Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.” Acts 27:10 Other times it’s a knowing in our heart that something doesn’t feel quite right. Kenneth Hagin once said, it’s that feeling like washing your feet with socks on, there’s just a warning light that goes off in your spirit. Other times you have peace in your inner spirit about a situation, even though it looks impossible. Yet the Lord is giving you the green light to move forward. The Lord also uses dreams and visions. He used dreams with Jesus’s adopted father when he had to warn him about Herod or when it was time to return from Egypt. Sometimes the Lord will use men or women of God in our lives to provide a prophetic word. This happened with the Shunamite woman when the prophet Elijah warned her to leave her home and go to Egypt due to a famine that was coming to the land. Often prophets would speak to the kings to give them direction for the nation. (see 2 Kings 8:1-15). In addition, the Lord uses His word, the written word of God for our guidance and direction.
Thankfully we can be the prophet of our own lives, since the Lord dwells on the inside of us by the Holy Spirit. When He says He will “Guide you with His eye” that means He will get your attention onto something repeatedly. You will just notice it. Why? Because the Lord is looking at it and wanting you to follow where He is looking.
As you pray in the spirit and pray in the understanding, as you worship the Lord and spend time in the Word, it will become easier to hear and discern the leading of the Lord in your life. When we gather with other believers, the Lord can use each of us to give a word of encouragement or direction. Therefore, if you are facing a major decision, you do not need to worry about making the wrong choice. Just trust God to give you the direction you need. Seek Him first and foremost and He surely will lead and guide you in the way that you should go.
Further reading: John 10, Proverbs 3, Psalm 37, Psalm 25, Acts 27, John 16:13-15, Psalm 119: 100-105
