Knowing Where God Is Taking You

"I have no idea where God is taking me, but I trust Him."

This is a quote from a Christian social media influencer. Does this motivate you? Is it something that you would say regarding your relationship with God? In response to this post, I said, "Maybe God isn't taking you anywhere, but allowing you to take Him with you as you go through life." I don't know the background to this post. The individual who wrote it could be going through a life circumstance or experiencing uncertainty in life. Whatever is behind them writing this, I believe it is something we can all relate to. Surprisingly, they responded to my comment with, "John 16:3, Isaiah 58:11, Isaiah 48:17, Psalm 23:2 are all verses where God leads or guides, therefore, He's taking me somewhere. Thank you, Jesus." My first response was to ask myself, "Does God lead without us knowing where He is taking us?" Children, for the most part, always know where their parent is taking them. But, that aside, what do these verses tell us about God leading or guiding us? 

John 16:13

John 16:3 says, "And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me." I don't see what this verse has to do with God guiding us. However, I believe they meant to reference John 16:13, which states, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." This verse is about Jesus Christ promising the Holy Spirit after His death." It is a passage about salvation; the restoration of the Holy Spirit of God to all who place faith in Jesus Christ. It is also a passage that defines where it is God is "taking" us. He is guiding us "into all truth." After reading this passage, it would seem that it doesn't support the idea that we "have no idea where God is taking" us. It is the opposite. Jesus Christ is clear as to what the purpose of the Holy Spirit is in our lives. 

Isaiah 58:11

In Isaiah 58:11, we read, "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." First and foremost, who was Isaiah writing to? He was writing to the people of Jerusalem around the time of Israel's return. The passage parallels John 16:13 in that it is a picture of restoration. The difference is that this entire chapter centers around fasting that pleases God. Written during the time of the Old Testament, we see the typical pattern of the Mosaic Law. That being if the people obey God, then He promises to bless them. As one commentator writes, "If the people choose the fast God sets before them, then they will have the blessing they seek: light, healing, help, protection, satisfying of needs, and, most centrally, the presence and guidance of God among them." God's guidance is conditional on the obedience of the people. Again, there is no mystery surrounding where God is "taking" the people. Also, we are not under the Law, therefore, there are no conditions we must meet for God to guide us. And with His indwelling Holy Spirit living in us, we have the "spring of water" strengthening our bones, watering our garden, and His love that never fails us. 

Isaiah 48:17

Earlier in the book of Isaiah, he says, "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go." This is a passage similar to Isaiah 58:11 where the author is writing to the Jews reminding them of who God is and that He leads them in the way they should go. We can take encouragement from this passage as it reminds us of the love of our God. However, a wise man once said, "keep reading" when it comes to taking Bible verses in isolation. In the next verse, Isaiah writes, "Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea (Isaiah 48:17)." There is the condition popping up again. The promises of God are contingent on the Jews heeding His commandments. That doesn't apply to Christians. Furthermore, we are at peace, or at least we should be, because "having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)." The Jews didn't have peace because of their constant disobedience. Christians have peace with God because we are justified in God's eyes because of the obedience of Jesus Christ. This promise to guide the Jews wasn't unknown to them, but, in many ways, it was unattainable because of the impossibility of obeying the commandments of God. We are not Jews who are hopelessly desiring for God to guide us somewhere but knowing that His doing so is dependent on us doing the impossible. 

Psalms 23:2

In one of the most memorable passages in scripture, we are comforted by the words, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters (Psalms 23:2)." Where is God leading us in this passage? He is leading us to rest. This is a picture of the rest we have in Jesus Christ as a result of His finished work. That is what God wants to lead all of us into. We are not being taken by God to someplace that leads us to say we have no idea where He is taking us. This is an idea repeated throughout the Bible. For example, God wanted to take the Jews to the promised land, but they were disobedient. To this day the Jews are not resting because they have not turned to their Messiah. Unfortunately, many Christians are not resting either. They are falsely believing they need to live obedient and repentant lives to the laws and commands God gave to "guide" us to the His grace and mercy found in Jesus Christ. Instead, they are not lying down in green pastures or being led beside still waters. On the contrary, they are like Jews wandering in the wilderness, seeking blessings of the flesh, desiring the bondage of slavery instead of being free in Christ, and having no idea where God is leading them. Perhaps, if you don't know where God is leading you it is because you are heading in the wrong direction.

Wherever we go as Christians, God is with us. He is using our feet to walk, our hands to touch, our eyes to see, and our ears to hear. Plus, we have the mind of Christ to help us make decisions in line with who we are as God's children. Furthermore, if God feels He needs to intervene and direct us in a certain way, He does not have a communication problem. If you feel you don't know where God is taking you, then ask Him. Chances are there is something wrong with what you believe instead of falling back on the platitude to trust a God who appears to have left you in the dark as to where He is taking you.