In Psalm 32, the 8th verse, we have a wonderful promise:

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” Psalm 32:8.

Today we would like to study with you, not only the fact that God is able to guide each one of us, and willing to guide each one of us; we want to study with you this wonderful truth: that the reason He wants to do that, is that He craves our fellowship. And every time we seek Him for His guidance, it is a new opportunity to satisfy His heart’s longing to be with us, and share with us, and let us share with Him.

In the “Signs of the Times” of April 22, 1903, we read this: “We were brought into existence because we were needed” Signs of the Times, April 22, 1903. 

Somebody may say, “Well, I don’t think I am very important. I don’t know just who needs me.” God needs you, friends. That is the point. God needs you. Let’s fill the need. What do you say?

In order that we might fill that need in God’s heart, He has arranged many occasions, many experiences in which we feel our need of guidance and direction. But the great purpose of that (and don’t miss this!) is not just so that we can get the answer. It is so that God can get us close to Him in fellowship. And if it were possible for us to get the answer without going to God, it would defeat the purpose. And this bears on some very practical things, both in getting counsel and in giving counsel.

Whenever we encourage ourselves or others to look to men to solve human problems, we defeat the purpose of God in letting us have problems. The purpose of God in letting us have problems is to draw us to Him, drive us to Him, if you please, and in love and mercy, He often cuts off every other avenue. And we mourn or we are in perplexity because every place we go seems closed – a disappointment here, a misunderstanding there, a lack of comprehension yonder. And what does it all mean? Why, it simply means that God is seeking to have us come to Him.

You know, sometimes, when a person is sick and we hear that special prayer has been called for, the tendency is for us to think, “Oh, is he that bad? Is he that bad? Is he about to die?” In other words, we have tried everything else, now we will try God.

We do this, sometimes, in seeking for wisdom, for guidance. But God intends that as the flower turns to the sun, so we should naturally turn to Him in every question, every situation. This text that we looked at, here in the Psalms, what is His promise?

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” Psalm 32:8.

You students of English and grammar, tell me, what person is that first word in that verse? First person. What number is it? [Singular.] Well, what does that mean? How many? One.

“I will instruct thee…” What person is “thee?” Second person. What number is it? Singular. Why do I spend all that time on that? It isn’t to teach grammar. I want you to get the thought. God, one person, is talking to you, one person. He is not talking just to the congregation, not just to the world: “I will instruct thee … in the way which thou shalt go…” Psalm 32:8.

Say, if He would do that, wouldn’t it be wonderful? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be guided by God in all the details of your life? Well, that is what He promises. And if He keeps His word, that is what He will do. Of course, we will have to look to Him.

Now, turn to Proverbs 3:6. You see, most people in this world are in one of two classes. They are either so sure that they know what they want to do, that they haven’t time to go to God for guidance. Or else they are just in perplexity and don’t know how to get guidance from God. So they are either certain or uncertain. And either way, they fail to get this guidance directly from God. God won’t undertake to teach the person who already knows all the answers. Why should He? How could He? 

“The meek will he guide in judgement: and the meek will he teach his way”

Psalm 25:9.

If you already know all about what you want to do, if you have set your mark to be president of the United States, or chairman of the board of General Motors, and nothing is going to stop you, you don’t need to go to God at all. You already have your answer. If you intend to be one of the men that land on Mars… you have your career all planned out. If you are planning how to make your first million, or how to be this or that or the other, no, you may not need the Lord.

Will He? You know, it is an interesting thing, many times older people when they get acquainted with some child (third grade, fourth grade, sixth grade), they will say, “Well,
Johnny, what would you like to be when you grow up?” “Mary, what would you like to be?” Did any of you ever have that question asked? What would you like to be? As if that ought to have anything to do with it, friends. In the first place, you don’t know what you would like to be.

The greatest reason why that question is fundamentally wrong and a mistake, is this: our great desire should be that God’s plan in our life will be carried out: “It doth not yet appear what we shall be” 1 John 3:2.

There is only one thing that counts to the person that knows God. It is, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” And God usually unrolls that scroll a little at a time. But oh, for this, oh, to know the joy, dear friends, of going to God for our orders and letting Him plan our lives!