We want direction the way we want a printed itinerary. Tell me the whole route, then leave me to it.
That is not what is promised here. God says He will instruct and teach and counsel, and then adds a phrase we tend to skip. My eye is upon you. The guidance is not detached. It comes with somebody watching.
Which is slower and considerably more personal than a map. A map does not adjust when you are tired. A map does not know that this particular turn frightens you.
It also means the not knowing is less dangerous than it feels. You are not being tested on your ability to guess correctly. You are being led, one visible stretch at a time, by someone who can see the whole thing.
Most people who look back at a hard season describe exactly this. Not a plan they were given, but a presence they only recognised afterwards.
