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. 

Often Unnoticed

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19

According to a popular Christian website, "There are many, many promises of God in Scripture. In each promise, God pledges that something will (or will not) be done or given or come to pass. These are not flippant, casual promises such as we often make; these promises of God are rock-solid, unequivocal commitments made by God Himself. Because God is faithful, the recipients of the divine promises can have full assurance that what God has pledged will indeed be realized." The article continues to list the promises of God in the Old Testament, New Testament and in the Gospels. Some of the promises listed are that "God promised blessing for all who will delight themselves in His Word (Psalm 1:1–3). Simple faith has its rewards." "God promised that all things will work out for good for His children (Romans 8:28). This is the broader picture that keeps us from being dismayed by present circumstances." "Jesus promised abundant life to those who follow Him (John 10:10). Following Jesus brings us more spiritual fulfillment than we could have anticipated. We leave boring behind." These promises are encouraging and comforting to those of us who take pride in what God has said. To be reminded that the promises of our God are "not flippant" and "rock-solid," should embolden Christians to continue to live their lives and share the Gospel with confidence. The writer of the article is convinced by these promises to the point that they say things like, "Simple faith has its rewards" and "Following Jesus brings us more spiritual fulfillment than we could have anticipated." There were many more promises that were listed in the article and each one of them was of a positive nature written with the purpose of making the reader feel good. If you do a simple search on the internet for the promises of God you will see results like, "Over 50 Encouraging Bible Verses and Scriptures" and "God's Word contains literally thousands of Bible promises waiting to be claimed in faith." Again, all of these are geared towards focusing on promises that are encouraging and uplifting. While there is nothing wrong about this, there are other promises of God that often go unnoticed, but are just as "rock-solid" and which are "not flippant." However, these promises, on the surface, may not be so comforting to the reader.

In the Old Testament, God said, "if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you (Deuteronomy 28:15)." Simple disobedience has its rewards. In the New Testament, we read, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12)." Following Jesus brings us more persecution than we could have imagined. And in the Gospels, Jesus Christ said, "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45)." This is the broader picture that keeps us grounded when present circumstances are not working out in our favor. These are just a few of the many promises of God that the recipients can have full assurance that what God has pledged will indeed be realized. There are not many Christians in a hurry to "claim" these promises, but for most of us, whether we have "claimed" them or not, they seem to have manifested themselves in our lives to one degree or another. They also seem to be more abundant in our lives than the positive promises seem to be. However, we should have no problem listing these promises right alongside the more positive ones. Why? Because they go hand in hand with each other. The one thing that should make us rejoice when it comes to the promises of God, regardless of whether they are positive or negative, is that they are true. Our failed attempts at being obedient to God prove that what He said is true. Christians are the most persecuted group in the world. While disheartening, it confirms God's promise of what would happen to us for having faith in Jesus Christ. Good and bad things happen to everybody all the time regardless of their faith in Christ or lack thereof. Again, this is just one more confirmation that what God has said is true. But, the best part of all is that the promises compliment each other. Knowing that His promises are true is a blessing that should make us delight in His word. If both the good and bad promises are coming to pass, it should give us hope that the promises regarding our eternity with Jesus Christ will soon come to pass as well. This is proof that all things will work out for the good of God's children. Ultimately, the promises of God remind us that the blessings and cursings we reap in the flesh pale in comparison to the abundant life we have been given through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. A life that will remain with us forever! Knowing that the promises of God and His word are true should comfort us and encourage us regardless of whether our lives are boring or not.