Isaiah 30:21

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way; walk in it.”
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left. (In other words, when you get off course or are about to go the wrong way.)

Isaiah 30:21 is a wonderful promise from God for those who seek his guidance. It is symbolic of shepherds following their flocks; when they observe any of the sheep wandering off in the wrong direction, they call them back to the right way.  It can also be characterized as direction given by teachers who know the Biblical paths and can explain the scriptural reason for taking the right course.

In a spiritual sense, it is the Holy Spirit who guides us when we come to a crossroads where there are several possible ways and we are at a loss as to which way to take, His voice directs us in the right direction. 

A good example of this is a member of our family who was employed in an industrial plant whose job required an annual physical. If you performed certain tasks, it required you to have an electrocardiogram as well. The nurse was unaware that he was qualified to perform that operation and was about to dismiss him without performing the electrocardiogram. He was ok with that because he did not want to take the time to do it, but he heard a voice, literally behind him, say, “Tell her that you do have that license.” When she finished the test, she told him to go directly to his doctor. He did, and the doctor sent him directly to the hospital, where he underwent bypass surgery. The voice of guidance from the Lord behind him that day saved his life.

We can depend on our God, who loves us, to always guide us, not necessarily in every little decision that pops up along our life’s journey but to keep us between the ditches that are on both sides of that road.

This is true of individuals as well as churches and Christian institutions. We need to hear and follow the Lord’s guidance, and we need to ensure that those we follow in ministry do so as well.

This ability often operates through the gift package that we receive at birth. It is part of the gift listed in the Bible as a word of knowledge/wisdom and is knowing something you cannot know based on your human intelligence. (1 Corinthians 12:8)

Lord, help us to always listen for and obey your directional word spoken behind us.

Ray Cleghorn is a retired pastor with several books listed on Amazon.com and elsewhere. His books and articles topics range from theological and eschatological to contemporary issues facing Christians today.