A Reliable Guide

 The following observation is from Bill and Shirley Lees' book Is it Sacrifice?  Experiencing Mission and Revival in Borneo:

"God is also totally reliable as our Guide.  He will stay with us on the journey even if we decide to take a turning contrary to his leading and don't turn back when  we hear the 'voice behind us'--or even when we don't try to hear it.

"He will turn aside with us just as he did for Israel when they disobeyed him in asking for a king.  It may be a more difficult route, and he may refine us through it, but he has promised he will not abandon us on it.

"He chose a king for Israel and then even used the monarchy to be the royal line for the incarnation of his son.  (Deuteronomy 31:6; 1 Samuel 8:6-8, 19-22; Job 23:10; Malachi 3:3-4; Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 13:5.)

"God can certainly be trusted as our Guide.  But he does not do everything for us.  As in the case of a human guide, we have to do the walking and the climbing,  It is a partnership with God.  As he said to Joshua, 'I will give you every place where  you set your foot' (Joshua 1:3).

"Why then is it so difficult to give an open offer to such a Lord?--'Anywhere, anytime, in any capacity, Lord.'

"It must be that, in spite of all we have just said, we don't fully trust him.  That sounds terrible when we put it like that, but it's true.  We know he knows the situation.  We know he knows us, with our weaknesses and our strengths.  We know his power, his love, his understanding are sufficient.  We know of his concern, his enabling, the gifts he has given us to do the job--why hesitate?

". . . The enemy tells us that we are taking a risk in trusting God.  Yet God has shown us time and time again that he is trustworthy and that he cares.  He will only lead us within the context of our (his and our) best interests."