God promises to instruct you in the way you should go

Psalm 32:8 (NIV) 

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

Have you ever prayed for divine guidance?  Divine guidance not only for you, but also for your loved ones?  I try every day to lift up my loved ones and ask the Lord to protect them and give them divine guidance.  When I pray this request one of the verses I am thinking of is this one. 

The Lord makes a wonderful promise here.  He promises to instruct and teach you in the way you should go.  And as you are going, that is, as you are living your life, hopefully in faith and obedience to Him, He is continuously counseling you and watching over you.  It’s not just one thing He is doing, but four things He is doing to enable you to live your life wisely, abundantly, and successfully.  And please note that this verse emphasizes that God is personally is involved in instructing and teaching and counseling you and all the time watching over you.  This is God speaking, not some limited human being.  Remember this.  

At first glance, the words instruct and teach seem redundant.  Yet they are different.  The Hebrew word for instruct means to be prudent, circumspect, wisely understand, and prosper.  So God’s instruction basically aims to enable you to be wise in His ways and to prosper because of your wisdom.  His instruction will enable you to make right and wise choices in your life, choices that will allow you to prosper with respect to being rich in certainty, security, and peace of mind. 

The Hebrew word for teach means to throw, shoot, cast or pour.  God will direct you in the way you should live your life.  He will take special aim with your life with a specific purpose in mind.

The Bible is God’s instruction and teaching book.  II Timothy 3:16-17 says that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, correction, reproof, and training for righteousness.”  You need both teaching and instruction to live your life the way God created you to live it.  His Word gives you His instructions and by studying His Word, His Holy Spirit teaches you how to live.

How does God counsel you and watch over you?   The Hebrew word for counsel means to guide or advise.  God is willing personally to be your travel guide for the rest of your life if you will let Him.  All you have to do is to pray each morning, “Lord, please guide me this day to do the right things and make the right decisions”.  However, besides prayer, you also need that daily intake of His Word.  By enabling you to remember what His Word says, He counsels you when you are praying where He will bring to your mind something that you have heard or read from His Word that gives you the appropriate guidance.  And then while you are going about your daily business in your life, all the things you do, God is watching over you.  His “hedge of protection” (Job 1:10) surrounds you.  His angelic forces are with you to help you react properly to situations around you.  Your true nature is revealed not by your planned actions, but your unplanned reactions and such reactions are based on who truly controls your heart and mind.

This verse of four promises applies throughout your life.  It applies when you are growing up, as you are making decisions about what to do with your life, especially your choices of career and future spouse.  It applies in your role as spouse, parent, career worker, leader, neighbor, and servant.  And it applies in all the decisions you make, some you make intentionally asking the Lord for His guidance and others you make without intentionally asking Him but He is there anyway working out situations supernaturally so that the path you take, the direction you go is where He wants you to go.  It’s His blessing beyond comprehension and all you can do is marvel and humbly thank Him through your words and attitudes and actions.   God has a special plan and purpose for your life and He is willing to give you the tools to fulfill His plan and purpose. 

Are you sincerely interested and willing to allow the Lord to be your life-long instructor and teacher and guide?  There are indescribable promises and possibilities implicit in this verse, but it also takes your daily willingness to open your heart and will to allow Him to lead you.