I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
(Ps. 32:8 NKJV)

When an acquaintance told me about having to drive across 5,000 kilometers of snow and ice visiting outstations in the frozen wastelands of Siberia where there were no roads, I asked, “How do you know where you are going?” He replied, “Just a compass!”

“Have you ever heard of a GPS unit?” I inquired. “A what?” he said. “It’s global positioning by satellite,” I explained, telling him that the small hand-held unit took a fix on some 14 satellites and then pinpointed your location with precise accuracy.

His eyes widened with excitement. That day, I sent an e-mail to our Guidelines’ office which found a GPS unit, sent it by overnight express to a friend who flew some 7,000 miles the next day and brought it with him. Within three days, the man who would have used his compass had a far more accurate means of knowing where he is as he started his journey across Siberia in winter.

Direction in our world is important, but in your personal life, it is even more important. Read the stories of explorers who died of thirst or hunger, knowing that water and food were nearby. They just couldn’t find it.

In Psalm 32, God gave a promise to David. Three verbs provide guidance when it comes to knowing where to go with your life. God said, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:8, NKJV). How does He provide direction? First, He says, “I will instruct you.” Second, “I will teach you.” Third, “I will guide you with My eye.”

Instruction and teaching are entirely different. You can read a book on computer science and be completely lost. Better is to take a class where a teacher gives instructions, but if someone sits down with you and says, “Look, I’ll show you how to do it. You start by turning on the computer, then you take the mouse and double click on this little icon,” and so forth. Having someone show you step by step is a lot easier and more meaningful than reading the book, or even taking a class.

Question: About that phrase where God says, “I will guide you with my eye,” does it mean just what it says? Can you communicate with a simple look?”

My son would suggest that you can! He was a boy of about seven when one Sunday evening, he positioned himself on the front row of the church where I was pastoring and proceeded to start launching spit wads in a variety of directions. His mother who was playing the piano was no threat. When I caught him glancing furtively at me, I narrowed my eyes, saying, “Stop it. Now!” Strong non-verbal communication. Thinking that I would forget about it later, he ignored me. It was time for me to speak, so I stood and addressed the group saying, “Before our study tonight, we will have one more song.” As the song leader grabbed a book and searched for something to sing, I proceeded to go down from the platform, take my son by the hand and lead him down the side aisle to the patio where we had a heart to heart talk.

The singing was just finishing when the two of us came down the aisle. Steve was muffling a few furtive sobs and I preached. People have long since forgotten what I spoke on, but those who were there will never forget what I did. As a loving Father, God instructs us, He teaches us, and He guides us with His eye. How can we miss His will and purpose for our lives? Yes, He still guides with His eye! May we understand clearly what He is saying lest we also face the consequences of disobedience.

Resource reading: Psalm 32