My son-in-law Marc would make a great tour guide. My daughter’s family has included me in a number of their trips, and it takes much skill and patience to wrangle our group of five — my daughter, my son-in-law, two college-age grandchildren, and me. Making travel plans can be tricky, and Marc has honed his skills of confirming flight schedules, obtaining boarding passes, passing security, navigating international flight regulations, leading us along miles of concourses, hoisting baggage into overhead bins, hailing Uber drivers, and so on. I have been able to simply follow Marc’s lead, trusting him to get us safely to our destination and back again.

All of us are seasoned travellers, and we would be capable of navigating on our own if necessary. Each of us also has varying thoughts and opinions about what to do and where to go when we’re on a trip. We all get to have our say as we’re planning our trips, and we’re all free to make suggestions along the way. Nonetheless, travelling as a group definitely goes best if we’re not all trying to be in charge. Things go much more smoothly if we all just relax and “leave the driving” to Marc.

This happens in our Christian life as well. Sometimes, I can be on autopilot, living each day without much forethought about or consideration of the direction that God would have for that day. Sometimes, I feel as though I can manage things on my own without consulting God and His road map for each step of the day. But how much better things go when I take the time to commit my way to Him and ask for guidance in the things that I will be doing and the people whom I will be meeting. When I am walking closely with Him every day, I can confidently trust His leading. He will guide my decision-making and daily choices if I will allow Him to do so.

Many Scripture passages assure us of God’s loving guidance and protection. One of my favourites reminds me that “the Lord is my Shepherd”:

“He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Psalms 23:2b-4a NIV)

Even though I don’t always know what lies ahead, I can trust my Guide to wisely lead the way, choosing the best route for me.

Whether I am enjoying sightseeing with my family, trusting Marc to plan our itinerary, or daily walking with God, trusting Him to direct my steps, I have learned that it is wise to trust my Guide. It’s important that we all learn to trust God to guide us along the right paths for our lives. What do we need to do to develop that trust?

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, You have promised to shepherd us safely along the path of life. May we trust You as our Guide, allowing You to chart the path, and then following Your leading without second-guessing Your wisdom. Amen.

Copyright © 2022, by Gail Lundquist <gail10833@gmail.com>, first published on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional presbycan.ca .
Beaverton, Oregon, USA

Reprinted from PresbyCan with author’s permission