I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your benefit

.... who leads you by the way you should go (Isaiah 48:17). The world, and even some Christians,  seem to believe that Father God is out to get us. Some of this is because, to put it mildly at times, earthly fathers are less than perfect. And of course, we tend to confuse God with our dads!  And then there is this feeling that He is  simply waiting for us to mess up,  so that He can condemn us. Nothing could be further from the truth. Actually Jesus told us that in character He is exactly like the Father (John 14:9). A true father wants the very best for his son (or daughter), and this is part of what this morning's verse is telling us. He is for us,  not against us. He loves us, after all He is the One who sent His Son to rescue us from ourselves (John 3:16).

he primary thing about being a Christian is being in relationship with Him. Part of this, is that He wants to teach and guide us,  and He wants this not to control us, but for out benefit.  In other words He teaches us and guides us for both our provision and our protection. We reap what we sow both positively and negatively (Galatians 6:7). Bad choices produce bad fruit,  and good choices good fruit. But how are we to know, and how does He guide us? In terms of good and bad, right and wrong, truth and error, the primary way is through His Word, the Bible.  If we are to sit under the umbrella of His protection,  we need to read it,  and obey what we read. His rules and precepts are not arbitrary, and we need to realize that we suppress the truth by disobedience (Romans 1:18), and we exercise and grown in the knowledge of  the truth,  by obedience (Hebrews 5:14).

But how does He guide us? Well in terms of right and wrong first and foremost it's primarily through His Word. But it is much more than this, and again it is about relationship.  Jesus said “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me ” (John 10:27).  Following of course is about obedience. Proverbs tells us that if we acknowledge Him in all our ways,  He will direct our steps (Proverbs 3:6 NKJV).  Acknowledging Him is about being willing to do,  or not do particular action. The part about “all our ways” tells us it is about wholehearted obedience.  But it is also about faith. James tells us that if we lack wisdom and ask Him for it, it will be given when we ask in faith (James 1:5, 6).  And then when we step out in faith,  in response to hearing His answer, then and often only then,  do we get the confirmation for “When you walk in the way you will hear a voice behind you saying 'this is the way walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

Father, I want to thank You this morning for Your guidance and for You tender mercies and steadfast love.  Thank You that You are for us not against us.  Indeed “if You be for us who can be against us” (Romans 8:31).  Thank You that You daily load us  with benefits (Psalm 68:19 NKJV). Help us to stay close Lord, give us hearts of obedience, and the grace we need to love You as You so richly deserve in Jesus Name Amen