DIVINE GUIDANCE THE CHRISTIAN'S PREROGATIVE.'- By Late Pastor L. Peterson

DIVINE GUIDANCE
THE CHRISTIAN'S PREROGATIVE.'
          By Late Pastor L. Peterson

Genesis 24:27; Proverbs 3:5-7.

'I being in the way, the Lord led me.'

The above text had its birth. In the experience of Abraham's servant seeking a wife for Isaac. Abraham spoke to his servant saying 'Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.' The servant promised Abraham and thus went in search of the proper girl to become Isaac's wife. He went to the land from which his master had come. In his journey he had asked God for guidance so that he would not err in his choice and that he would always be in God's will. God did guide him and in acknowledgment of this heavenly guidance, the servant gave the testimony of our text: 'I being in the way, the led me'. Gen. 24:27.

The Christian has every right to expect divine guidance in life. It is the Christian's prerogative to have this supernatural guidance. There are however, certain principles and laws under which we live and work. If we go in accord to these divine laws we will know and have God's best for us. The astronauts in their journeys into space work in harmony with God's laws. The precision of their instruments are accurate only as they obey or synchronize with these laws. The space ships are guided by certain stars that God long ago placed in space. So it is spiritually as long as the Christian works in harmony with God's plan he or she may know His leading in their lives. Proverbs 3:5-7 sets forth our Heavenly Father's order to be followed in realizing His guidance for our lives. You, dear friend, cannot err in obeying His Word. It is your prerogative to have this supernatural guidance. Here are the necessary steps in experiencing your rightful heritage.

First, there must be an absolute and total confidence in God. Provo 3:5. The writer of Proverbs declares 'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.' Another translation presents it this way: 'You be persuaded in all your heart upon God, do not prop yourself up' (or lift yourself up). The inspired text is crying out to a young man who is journeying through life. He is on the road of life and has not traveled that road before. There are many pitfalls and unmarked ways. The experience of travel can only be learned by travel. No academic training or study can take the place of experience. The traveler coming to unmarked 'Y's' will need divine guidance, he cannot trust his own and must resort to another's wisdom. This is why in the first seven chapters of Proverbs the inspired writer cries out 'My son - my son - my son.' Note Proverbs 1:10. 'My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not'; 2:1, 'My son, if thou wilt receive my words ... ; 3:1, 'My  son, forget not  my law ... '; 4:l, 'Hear, ye children. the instruction of a father ... '; .5:1, 'My son, attend unto my wisdom...'; 6:1, My son, if thou be surety for thy friend .... ' and 7:1, 'My son, keep my words ... ' These expressions are the cries from a heart and if you please, the heart of your Heavenly Father begging you to follow His guidance. He knows the road better than His servant. His beloved Son, our Savior has gone the road before us and knows the hazardous journey. He knows you need guidance and you know it too if you will honestly acknowledge it. You may profit by His guidance and wisdom but you must not, you cannot do so without 'absolute and total confidence in God.' You must not 'prop yourself up.' You must not make crutches of your own to find your way in life. You must learn to lean On God and trust Him completely. Your own maneuvering will never do. You cannot trust your own feelings in the matters of decision. Feelings will often mislead you. Have you ever been lost in a deep dense forest? It is a real strange experience. You will in such experiences always have certain convictions and feelings as to directions. You must never trust them, they may be entirely wrong. People who have been lost and found often tell tales of how they walked for hours thinking they were going in the right direction and learned that they had just walked in circles. They had gone no place. Christians often do this for they do not resort to a complete trust in God abandoning their own ideas and feelings. Oh! hear the cry of a wise father; 'My son ... trust in the Lord with all thin heart; and lean not to thin own understanding.'

   Secondly, there must be a complete acknowledgment of God's interest in your life. Pro 3:6. The wise father says 'In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths'. A better translation of this verse is found in an old English manuscript. It reads, 'In all thy ways think Him.' This is the sum total teaching of the text. It is simply saying, 'Count God as a partner in your journey through life.' Clarke says, 'Begin, continue and end every work, purpose and device with God.' God is interested in your life. Do you realize this? If He were not, why would He send His beloved Son to this planet to die for you. If He were not, why then would our Savior say in speaking of sending the Holy Spirit, 'He will guide you.' It is absolutely true that God is interested in you and your life. He is more interested in your life and your journey through it than you can possibly be yourself. He wants you, as a Christian, to take Him in as a partner. This is not only in your vocation, or service as a Christian, but in your avocation or means of livelihood. What you are doing to keep body and soul together is God's business and you are but His steward in that service. Please remember this, dear friend. Count 'Him in' -- in every consideration of all items of life. Don't buy, build, train or travel without considering God's interest in the decisions.

   The blessedness of all this is the fact that you will never make a mistake following His guidance. Oh, young people!  This is so important to you. Life in its journeys has many uncharted ways. You must travel them and you need guidance. Let the Master pilot your vessel. Hear the hymn writer in his song of petition.

'Jesus, Savior, pilot me
Over life's tempestuous sea,
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rocks and treacherous shoal;
Chart and compass come from Thee,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.'

   A favorite painting of mine is that of a young, energetic and handsome lad. He is standing in the pilot house of a ship. The sea before him looks stormy and uncertain, but the lad looks confident and certain. He seems sure and at perfect ease. Behind him stands the Master, our Lord and Savior, with one hand on the shoulder of the lad. This is what Solomon the inspired writer means when he says, 'Son, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths'.

   Thirdly, there must be open lines of communication. 3:7. The proverb says, 'depart from your own wisdom.' Our text says, 'Be not wise in thine own eyes'. When we resort to a message from no higher source than our little brain, we are already lost. It is so easy to become conceited. (i.e. have or entertain the idea that all wisdom has it's origin in our thinking). A wise person realizes the depravity and inability of the flesh. Communication with God is broken when we make our decisions without God. Don't be so conceited that you feel you have the answers. Complement yourself and God by keeping in touch with Him.

   The proverb also says 'Depart from evil.' A better translation is, 'bend away from all evil.' It is said of Augustine that after his conversion to Christ a former paramour saw him and ran to greet him. The young convert started running away from her and she cried out 'Augustine, it is I.' Augustine retorted as he fled, 'but it is not I.' This is turning from evil. We must do so in life to keep lines of communication open so that our Heavenly Father can give us guidance for life. An officer of World War II was asked, 'What is the most dangerous part of battle and what do you fear most?' He answered, 'When lines of communication are broken.'

   Dear friend, do you wish to possess your heritage of divine guidance? Do you have any interest in your own welfare? Then learn to obey the truths from Proverbs. Have absolute and total confidence in God. Pave complete acknowledgment of His interest and keep the lines of communication open.

   The fruit and blessedness of this is expressed in verse 8, 'It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones'. As a child is in the womb of its mother and receives all nourishment and life through the umbilical cord, so the child of God is in the womb of the universe and his or her only means of true life is found in proper union with God. You have the choice to accept or reject the wise council of God as given in our text. Accepting it you may at the sunset of life say, as did Abraham's servant, 'I being in the way, the Lord led me.' Rejecting it, God declares in another of Solomon's letters, 'Rejoice, 0 young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine yes: but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.' Ecc. 11:9.

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