I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8

When I was in High School I entered a timed “car rally” with a friend in which we were to find our way through the city to a final destination based on a particular set of instructions. The instructions were handed to us in a sealed envelope and our starting time was recorded. We were to open the envelope and carefully follow the directions inside. It was a lesson in being carefully attentive and obedient to the instructions given. If done appropriately we would arrive at the destination exactly in the time allotted. The more deviations there were from the directions, the more likely our arrival would not match the designated rally time. It was a challenge, yet it was something I imagined I’d do fairly well, especially since I thought of myself as a good driver and pretty good at figuring out the various clues embedded in the directions.

The reality was I had no idea how difficult the course was or how little I understood about following directions. Fortunately for my partner and me, included in the main envelope was a smaller envelope, which contained the address of the destination in case we became hopelessly lost. Opening that envelope immediately disqualified one from winning the rally and so we tried our best over the course of a couple of hours to avoid opening the envelope. Needless to say we were so off course we thought we must have crossed several state lines. When we finally admitted we were lost, we swallowed our pride opened the envelope and joined the other car rally failures in the spectator seats at the destination.

When we tried to recount our steps and determine where we had gone wrong we read the instructions again and discovered that the first instruction, which we had paid little attention to, was to read all the instructions carefully first. Having considered this an irrelevant exercise, we had gone on to the second instruction. What we later discovered imbedded in that long list of opening instructions was that we were to change all right turns to left turns in the following instructions. Having not read this we were very quickly moving in the wrong direction. It was embarrassing to think that we couldn’t even make the first correct move out of the parking lot because we hadn’t paid careful attention to the first instruction.

Now obviously, the journey of the Christian life is not a car rally. But there is similarity in that God does know the destination and purpose He intends for our lives and also the best way to get there. The practice of spiritual direction is really about trying to set aside whatever directional impulses one might have and trust in God’s knowledge of the best direction for our lives. But to receive this kind of direction one must be willing to listen and submit humbly to the One who knows perfectly both the destination and the best way to get there.

God says to the psalmist in Psalm 32, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” God wants to direct our way by being our instructor, teacher and counselor. He seeks not just to provide information but to personally communicate and watch over us in the process of discovering His direction for our lives. I appreciate that the personal pronoun “I’ is used by the psalmist to express that God Himself will guide us. And to reinforce this, God counsels us with His own eye upon us. It is also helpful to understand that the words, “instruct”, “teach” and “counsel” used to describe what God will do to direct us are words indicating process and ongoing relationship. To instruct, teach and counsel involves time and personal attention. God wants to be with us on this journey, not distant and removed, but personally engaged in the discernment and direction process.

We are called to listen and follow the instruction, teaching and counsel as God reveals it. But it also means waiting until it is revealed and not being impulsive or impatient in the meantime. Too often I want immediate action and results. I seek ways of expedience and short-term results that circumvent God’s often slow, and sometimes-uncomfortable way. When in Isaiah 55 God says, “My ways are not your ways” it means that this waiting for God’s way will require us to surrender our concept of what we think the way is. The reality is that God’s way is the most transformative way. The emphasis in Psalm 32:8 is not on the destination, so much as it is on the way we should go.

God’s direction may be more about surrendering to the way of transformation God has in mind for me. It may not be the fastest way or the most comfortable way, but it will be the best way for it follows the direction and design of the one who created and loves us. In the end, we will arrive exactly at the place God intends and, having listened for His direction as to the best way, we will discover that our lives reflect the transformation manifested in those who have been under God’s care throughout the journey.

My encouragement to each of us is to recognize God’s eternal understanding and wisdom and to listen and wait for Him to reveal His way of transformation for our lives. In other words, take time to seek the Lord and discern His direction for your life. We can begin wherever we are this day and experience His wise counsel and loving eye upon us in the process.

May listening to this song remind you of God’s faithfulness to show you and lead you in the very best way.