The Guidance of God

Devotional Readings: Psalm 25:1-22 and several others including those listed here.

Psalm 23:2-3

He leads me besides still waters; ... He leads me in the right paths for His name's sake

Exodus 13:21 

The LORD went in front of them during the day in a column of cloud to guide them and at night in a column of lightning to give them light. This way they could travel during the day and at night.

Psalm 25:8-10

The LORD is good and does the right thing;
   he teaches sinners which way
   they should go.
 God guides the weak to justice,
   teaching them his way.
  All the LORD’s paths
  are loving and faithful
   for those who keep his covenant
   and laws.

Psalm 31:1-4

 I take refuge in you, LORD.
   Please never let me be put to shame.
      Rescue me by your righteousness!
  Listen closely to me!
   Deliver me quickly;
      be a rock that protects me;
      be a strong fortress that saves me!
  You are definitely my rock 

and my fortress.
   Guide me and lead me
   for the sake of your good name!
  Get me out of this net
that’s been set for me
   because you are my protective fortress. 

Psalm 139:9-10

" If I could fly on the wings of dawn,
   stopping to rest only
   on the far side of the ocean—
     even there your hand would guide me;
      even there your strong hand
      would hold me tight! 

From time to time, at least before my hip replacement surgery in March 2003, I enjoyed (that is I really looked forward to) going to the C&O Canal Great Falls National Park Montgomery Park Maryland. I started going here in about 1991. There is walking, biking and the bit more adventurous - several hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty from the novice to the more experienced. These trails are self guided in that once you begin them -- you are on your own pace to finish.  

One in particular that I have a great fondness for is the Billy Goat Trail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Goat_Trail ) ( http://www.midatlantichikes.com/id163.html) The Billy Goat Trail (also written as Billygoat Trail) is a 4.7-mile (7.6 km) hiking trail that follows a path between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park near Great Falls in Montgomery County, Maryland. The trail has three sections: Section A, the northernmost, is 1.7 miles (2.7 km); Section B is 1.4 miles (2.3 km); and Section C, the southernmost, is 1.6 miles (2.6 km). Section A is by far the most strenuous and is also the most popular taking about 2 1/2 hours to complete start to finish. 

The path starts out very even and very gradually becomes more and more rocky. Wear your best hiking shoes and plenty of water) for this one as it does not take long before the trail begins to get more steep and more rocky. From one critique written in 2007:

 Critique: I highly enjoyed this hike. While Section A is only 1.7 miles long, it feels much longer. I only started doing day hikes during this summer, and though I have done trails at least twice as long as Billy Goat Section A, I found this hike to be especially exhausting. Don't get me wrong... it's the best kind of exhausting I've ever experienced! You really feel like you've accomplished something.

The endless spectacular views and the rock scrambling/climbing made the trail one of the most diverse and exciting trails I've hiked, and at times I felt that I had been transported away from Maryland to somewhere out West! I highly recommend this trail for beginners who, like I, have had some experience on a couple of moderate trails under their belt and want to experience something more exciting than just an endless green tunnel.

The last time I tried this trail was in August of 2010. I just had this irresistible impulse to go back. I had to know that I could do it in spite of my hip. The trail kept calling out to me -- "Come by and climb me again." It was at a point when I felt that I needed to know I could 'climb the mountain', I needed to stretch myself physically and spiritually. Observe the awesome beauty of God's creation from the vantage of the high ground. I had done this trail several times with relative ease so I knew I could finish. The only difference was that now I had to overcome the physical limitations of my replaced left hip. I hadn't climbed it in many tears but I felt I knew the trail well enough to get through it. So, off I went with my water and my snacks and my best hiking boots. Instead of a hiking stick I took my cane.

I did reasonably well through 3/4 of it. I stopped when I was tired to rest, drink and eat and enjoy the view. Then I came upon this section of the trail:

  And I realized that I was in for it. I was tired and near exhaustion. I looked up at the ascent and thought to myself -- My God, My God! I forgot just how steep and narrow it was. How am I going to this the way I was feeling. My legs were more like rubber than not. I had to go up because it was way too far to reverse course and go back to the beginning. I was beside myself and nearly crying. There was no going down into the Mather Gorge and there was no phone signal to call for any rescue. There were some people coming down but they were going the opposite way from me. The one's that were coming my way, just ambled up with fairly relative ease and disappeared from site. So I rested for a while and waited till the climb was clear.

I began my ascent. Let me tell you that I was scared that I would lose my balance the way my legs felt. I clung as close to the rock wall as I could and finally made it to within about 5 feet from the top. But I could quite literally go no further. I had no strength in my arms or my legs. The muscles hurt like crazy. I could barely life them. So I sat down in an outcropping convinced I was going no further. I had not the strength to pull myself up and continue to the finish line. I was at the end.

Suddenly a hand reached down from above me and told me to take his hand. He asked me my name and I told him. He reached his hand down again and repeated the command. I reached up and grabbed it and with great effort and many words of encouragement, he pulled me up to the top. He gave me his water bottle so I could take a drink. I thanked him mightily for coming to my aid and I asked for his name. He said it was Joshua (Hebrew for God is my help and my salvation)! With sufficient rest at the top I was able to descend down the rest of the trail and return to my car.

In Psalm 25 David points out that we can experience God's guidance and help if we meet certain spiritual conditions:

1. Confidence in God: We demonstrate this through our worship. We need to pray so that we might have our hearts right with Him. We wait for Him instead of rushing headlong into trouble. In verses 4 and 5 David likewise talks about his willingness to follow. God will extend His hand to us but we have to choose to take hold of it to receive the benefits of His help. Verse 5 also tells us that we need confidence the witness of the Word (Psalm 119:105).
2. The attitudes of Humility and Surrender: Give your life over to God. "O what peace we often forfeit O what needless pains we bear because we try to manage challenging circumstances the best way we think is best instead of letting God's wisdom prevail.God never forgets His children. An honest heart that pleas "Blot out all my transgressions" from Psalm 51 that sends us to our knees instead of broken bones when we trip and fall flat on our backsides or faces.   

Do you need God's guidance today? Let Psalm 25:1-5 be your prayer. Place your confidence in Him and yield to Him in spite of yourselves and your circumstances. You will please God and help accomplish His purposes in your life and in the lives of those around you. 

God Bless