The Purpose of God's Leading

“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness — for His name’s sake.” — Ps. xxiii. 3.

We hear a great deal about the leading of God; but I think there is no subject on which we have such confused ideas. We say that God’s is an individual Providence. On the faith of that, we ask for some trinket, ring, or gewgaw. We do not get it. Then we say, “It is all a delusion; God cares nothing for individuals!” The Psalmist has avoided this confusion. On the one hand, he has no doubt whatever of an individual Providence. Every note of the Psalm is personal: The Lord is my shepherd,” “He leadeth me:’’ But on the other hand, he recognises that the leading itself is not for an individual end: “He leadeth me in the path of righteousness — He leadeth me for His name’s sake.” This is very strange language. We should have expected him to say, “God is leading me in green pastures on account of the good life have led.” On the contrary, he says “God is leading me in green pastures to further the good of other people — to minister to those who have not led a good life.” And I think the experience of the Psalmist will be found true to all experience. I do not believe that any man is led into prosperity or into adversity for the sake of that prosperity or adversity; it is always for the sake of God’s name or holiness. You pray for worldly wealth and it comes to you. Has God led you into that wealth? Yes, but not to reward your prayer. Rather would I say that the prayer and the riches are both parts of His guidance into a path of humanitarian righteousness where you can minister to the sorrows of man. Why was Abraham promised the land of Canaan? As a reward for leaving Ur of the Chaldees? No, but with the view of making blessed all the families of the earth. God did not give him the new country as a recompense for leaving the old; He inspired him to leave the old because He meant to give him the new.

Lord, lead me to green pastures for Thy name’s sake! Thy name is Love; lead me to green pastures for the sake of love 1 I do not seek the verdant spot that I may rest there, but that through my rest another may be helped in toil. I ask the gifts of fortune, not that I may keep them, but that I may share them. If my pastures be green let me feed Thy flock; if my waters be quiet

let me launch ships for Thee! Often in the days of youth I have prayed that Thou wouldst lead me to the New Jerusalem whose streets are paved with gold. I would not unqualifiedly pray for that now. I should like to make a condition — that I should not be forced always to remain there. I should like to have the egress, as well as the ingress, of the city of gold. I should like freedom to transfer the gold. I should like to beautify old Jerusalems. I would pave the streets of bad Nineveh, of wicked Babylon. I would show Thy gems to the Gentiles, Thy pearls to the outcast poor. I should be glad to bring a breath of the glassy sea into the lanes and alleys of the working day. Even to heaven would I be led “for Thy name’s sake.’*