Deuteronomy 1:33
“Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.”
An interesting statement is made about God’s guidance of Israel in the verse above. It says that God went before Israel to search out a place “to shew you by what ye should go.” In other words, God wasn’t taking them to a place He had no idea about, but He was taking them to a place that He knew everything about. He knew everything about where He was taking them because He had already been there.
This should encourage every Christian about how much God cares for them. God promises to guide you through life, but oftentimes we think the way that He is guiding us is not the best way. When you take the verse above into consideration, there are four things that should help you to trust God.
First, God cares for you. God wouldn’t go “before you” if He didn’t care for you. The reason He goes before you is so that He can show you what way you should go. What a caring God! God cares enough about you to take the time to be sure that what way He is guiding you is best for you. He is not leading you in a way that is best for someone else, but He is leading you in a way that is best for you. You are going to have to trust God that He cares enough for you to go “before you.”
Second, God has already been where you are going. God goes before you to be sure that where He is going to take you is the best way for you to go. This means that He knows what your future holds. You may be unsure about your future, but God is not unsure because He has already been there. What you consider the present is past tense to God. There is no reason to doubt God because He knew what you would face before you ever faced it. Don’t doubt God, but trust Him because He has already been where you are going.
Third, God knows your next step. Because God has already been where you are going, He knows what step you should take next. This is why you should “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) You may not know the next step you should take, but God does. He knows the next step because He has already been there. When life has put a blindfold on your future, you must trust the guiding hand of God as He leads you to the next step. I can promise you on the authority of God’s Word that He will never lead you to a place that is not best for you.
Fourth, God knows what is best. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” God knows what is best because He has searched out “what way ye should go.” The verse above didn’t say that He searched out a way He thinks you should go, but a way “ye should go.” You can be assured that if God is leading you that it is the right way and the best way.
Christian, it doesn’t matter what life has dealt your way because He has already been where you are. Don’t doubt Him. Trust God and His guiding hand and you will discover that where He led you was the best way for you.