JUNE 13

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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Psalm 73:24

“You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”

Isaiah 58:11

“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

Psalm 107:30

“Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven.”

Psalm 31:3

“For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.”

Psalm 25:9

“The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.”

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We are reading a book by Corrie ten Boom, with daily recordings she made to broadcast over Trans World Radio.  Her Dutch family  sheltered Jews during the Nazi invasion of Holland.  As a result, she, her sister Betsy and their father were taken to concentration camps in Germany. The Lord did many miracles to allow both Corrie and Betsy to bring the Gospel to the other women in their camp.   Their father was murdered in an extermination camp and Betsy was sick, dying just two weeks before Corrie and the rest were freed.  After her freedom, Corrie traveled the world, telling everyone even in remote areas, about salvation through Christ, besides radio and writing many books.  This one is entitled, “Not I, but Christ.”

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GOD’S GUIDANCE

In Isaiah 30:21 we read:

“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,   ‘This is the way, walk in it,’

Whenever you turn to the right hand  or whenever you turn to the left.”

Is this really true?  Does God lead His children in this way?  I want to listen with you to that which the Holy Spirit has to tell us about guidance, for this is sometimes a problem for me, as for many people.   There are many who say, “I never hear anything when asking for guidance.”

But then my question is, “Do you listen?”

Sometimes we have to wait for the Lord, but this waiting can be a blessing in itself, if we do it in the presence of the Lord.  Our quiet time is helpful for this.

If you want to hear God’s voice clearly and you are uncertain, then remain in His presence until He changes this uncertainty.

Often much can happen during this waiting for the Lord.  Sometimes He changes pride into humility; doubt into faith and peace; sometimes lust into purity.  The Lord can and will do it.

We must also understand that sometimes the silence of the Lord is His way of letting us grow, just as a mother allows her child to fall and get up again when he is learning to walk.  If at times God allows a conflict, it may be His way of training us.

Some people say:  “but it is very selfish to ask God to give me guidance.”  Do you know who is tell them that?  That is the enemy!  The devil is afraid of children of God who safely walk with their hands in the Lord’s hand.  It is God’s will to give us guidance.  Let us look at what the Bible has to say about it.

Psalm 32:8 says:  “ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;  I will guide you with My eye.”

Could it be any clearer than that?

Psalm 48:14 says:

“For this is God,  Our God forever and ever;  He will be our guide  even to death.”

Why is it that so often we do not hear the Lord’s voice?  I think it is because our sins separate us from Him.  The psalmist says:

“…….My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;   They are more than the hairs of my head;  Therefore my heart fails me.”

Satan’s work sometimes is like a fog on the outside of the window of our soul, hiding  God’s light.  Sinful desires can cloud the window from the inside.  God may put His hand on the window meaning He is very near.  But often disobedience causes us to fail to feel God’s guidance or to hear His voice,

When I left the concentration camp during the war, I said:  “Now I will travel all over the world, and I shall go wherever God leads me.  But I hope that He will never send me to Germany.”  Because of my experiences in prisons I had a distorted picture of Germany, which was not surprising.

So my obedience was limited:  “Everywhere, Lord, but Germany.”  Then I went to America and when I asked for guidance, I did not receive an answer.  That was very hard.  Suddenly I asked:  “Lord, is there perhaps a sin between You and me?” the answer was very clear:  “GERMANY”.  Then I understood, and I said:  “Lord, then also to Germany.”

I went to Germany and found my enemies, but also many friends.  In a sense I had more open doors in Germany than anywhere else in the world.  And there I experienced that if you love your enemies you touch the ocean of God’s love as never before.

So I learned my lesson:  Obedience – not   “yes, but,” —  but, “Yes, Father.”

God guides in a threefold way – first in our prayer time; second by His Word, the Bible; and third, by the circumstances.  It is wonderful that in our prayers we not only speak but can also listen.  We cannot do so at once; we must get accustomed to it.  God’s hidden fellowship is found by those who fear Him.

The devil is hindering us from hearing God’s voice.  That is his goal.  There are two rivals of God’s voice – our ego and the devil.  We must learn to discern who is speaking.

God’s commandments are simple, pure, and true.  Those of the devil are complicated.  He uses doubt, rebellion, and deceit.

It is not at all difficult for the Lord to guide us, and asking things of God gives us a wonderful opportunity to have fellowship with Him.  What a comfort it is to know that before we were born, God made His plan for us.  He gave us our talents and qualities and He  certainly will not waste them, now that you are a Christian.

He, our good shepherd, knows your physical, emotional, and spiritual  needs better than you do yourself.  He Himself has said:  “I will not fail you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5).  He knows the end from the beginning.  He can make every act and experience work together for good for yourself and for others.  If only we had a better understanding of what it means to be a child of God.

When you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, (or when you do now)  He, Your Redeemer and Lord, made you a child of God, and if you have not yet accepted Him, I hope that you will do so now.

But we must understand what it means to be a child of God.  God is our Father who loves us.  We are part of Him.  It is not difficult for Him to guide us.  He longs to do so, and nothing is too difficult for His omnipotence, and nothing too small for His love.  Isn’t that wonderful?

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O Father, we thank You that we are Your children.  We thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are the Good Shepherd, Lord, Savior, Protector, Provider, Brother, Husband, Guide and Guardian, and so much more.  Please teach us by Your Spirit to clearly hear Your voice.  Thank You.  Amen

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