GUIDED BY HIS COUNSEL

God is not distant from the details of your life. He does not save you and then leave you to find the way alone. His promise is personal: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go."

There is comfort in knowing that God guides with wisdom, patience, and perfect sight. He sees what we cannot see. He knows what is ahead, what is hidden, what is harmful, and what will shape us more deeply into the image of Christ.

But guidance also requires surrender. We cannot truly ask God to lead while insisting that He follow our preferences. Sometimes the Lord's direction will challenge what we wanted, expose what we were avoiding, or close what we were trying to force open.

That is mercy. A closed door can be protection. A delay can be preparation. A conviction can be an invitation back to safety. The Shepherd leads because He loves the sheep, and Psalm 73:24 says, "You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory."

If you have been trying to carry the burden of the whole journey, lay it down. Ask God to teach you the way you should go. Then stay close enough to follow when He speaks.

He is not only able to lead you. He is faithful to lead you well.