Psalm 32:8, 9 - God Wants Us To Know The Way.
Psalm 32:8, 9 (NIV) I will instruct you and
teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel
you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse
or the mule, which have no understanding but
must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will
not come to you.
INTRODUCTION
God describes some people as being like
horses or mules that have to be controlled by bits
and bridles. Rather than letting God guide them
step by step, they stubbornly leave God only one
option. If God wants to keep them useful for him, he
must use discipline and punishment. God longs to
guide us with love and wisdom rather than
punishment. He offers to teach us the best way to go.
Accept the advice written in God's Word and don't
let your stubbornness keep you from obeying God.
[Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARLS
We Have a Trustworthy Guide
Hanging on my office wall is a print that
Ive had for nearly 60 years. It shows the Lord
Jesus standing behind a young man whose eyes are
focused in the direction that the Master is
pointing. Jesus hand is on the mans shoulder,
and I imagine He is saying, This is the way
were going. I will get you to the destination.
Although the road will be marked with both joy and
suffering, the Lord leads His followers all the way to
their eternal home.
Anyone who is honest will admit that he
or she is ill-equipped to go through life
alone. Our all-knowing God created us with a need
for His guidance. In our own strength,
knowledge, and reasoning power, we are simply not able
to figure out how to make the wisest decisions.
But the Lords assuring hand at our shoulder
can lead us down right paths to good choices.
The Lord is willing and able to guide us,
if we will let Him. It isnt difficult to
fall in step with Him. Acknowledge that you have
wandered down paths of life that led to sin and
disobedience. Choose to follow His lead instead by reading
the Word of God and applying biblical principles
to your life. And learn to pray through both
large and small decisions as you seek the path He
has set for you.
Just beyond our last heartbeat lies
eternity. Thats where our Savior is pointing us.
The path may not be clear to our eyes, but Jesus
is leading us there with a steady and sure
hand. Our part is to follow in obedience so that
we may reach heaven and hear the Father say,
Well done. [In Touch Daily Devotional by
Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org]
Praying the Promises of God
Jesus made it clear that we would endure
hardship in this life. But God gave His children
amazing tools to keep trials from overwhelming us.
For instance, He placed His Spirit inside each
believer to guide and empower. In addition, He gave
us prayer so we could not only communicate and
stay connected with our Father but also bring Him
our requests.
Today I want to focus on yet another one
of His marvelous gifts: the Bible. Scripture is
the actual Word of God Almighty. It is truth. It
never changes. It enables us in all circumstances,
so we have a sure foundation on which to base
our lives and decisions.
There are thousands of promises in the
Bible--countless assurances that we can rely on with perfect
confidence. God wants us to learn them so we won't miss
out on blessings He wants to give. And wise
believers will turn His promises into prayers and the
cries of their hearts.
Let me give you an example that relates
to difficult decisions. Psalms 32:8 states, "I
will instruct you and teach you in the way which
you should go; I will counsel you with My eye
upon you." We can pray God's words back to Him,
saying that we believe He will teach us and reveal
His path, while remaining by our side as our
caregiver through the entire situation.
When hardships arise, we need a solid
foundation on which to stand. Otherwise, our emotions
could easily lead us astray through faulty
thinking. God is faithful and unchanging, so we can
trust in His promises, which enable us to rest
confidently and act boldly. [In Touch Daily Devotional
by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org re Isaiah
40:8]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
God made us: invented us as a man invents an
engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would
not run properly on anything else. Now God
designed the human machine to run on Himself. He
Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to
burn, or the food our spirits were designed to
feed on. There is no other. That is why it is
just no good asking God to make us happy in our
own way without bothering about religion. God
cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from
Himself, because it is not there. There is no such
thing. C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
God created a void in your heart that is
only His to fill. When life becomes meaningless,
boring, and hard it's because we've been filling it
with anything but Him.
[daughterbydesign.wordpress.com]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Psalm 32:8, 9 - God Want Us To Know The Way
To Go.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190701-0838.html
Philippians 4:6 - Turning Worry into Prayers.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220428-1041.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
