God’s Guiding You

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you.

Deuteronomy 31:8

In the 1800s people moved from the East or Midwest to the West Coast, a journey of about 2,000 miles that took up to six months. The journey was hard and expensive. Families needed a sturdy wagon that could withstand the rugged terrain. They needed horses, oxen, or mules to pull the wagon, which would be loaded down with food, cooking utensils, clothes, and other necessities for the trip.

Traveling by wagon to the West Coast was difficult. The trip was marked with challenges like broken wagon wheels, injured animals, illness, running out of food or water, poor weather, and trails that were difficult to follow. Families would travel together in wagon trains for safety and support.

Sometimes the difference between success and failure depended solely on having an experienced trail guide. The best guides knew the route, what dangers lay ahead, when and where to stop for supplies or for winter, and where to find water and animals to hunt for food.

The pioneers weren’t the first group of people to make a long journey. The Israelites in Old Testament times traveled for 40 years in the wilderness. Their trip didn’t need to last that long, but God made them wander 40 years because they hadn’t trusted him enough to take possession of the land he’d promised them. God didn’t leave them alone, though. He guided them the entire way using a cloud to lead the way in the daytime and a pillar of fire at night (see Exodus 13:21).

God still guides people today. You won’t see a cloud or pillar of fire meant for you, but you may see him work out circumstances or send the right person into your life to guide you. Or he might use a book, a passage of Scripture, or a Sunday school lesson to show you the way.

Although God leads you differently today than he led the Israelites in Old Testament times, his promise is the same. He will always be with you, and he will always guide you.

God has led different people in different ways. He spoke to Moses in a burning bush and led him using a cloud and fire. What other ways did God lead people in the Bible? Think about Gideon, Esther, Daniel, and Paul. If you aren’t familiar with their stories, ask a parent or Sunday school teacher to help you find them in the Bible. How does God give you direction today?