This is actually a very difficult question to answer, and that’s because the answer is both “yes”–and “no”! Let me explain.

On one hand, God is sovereign, and when we are truly seeking to follow Him, He goes before us and leads us–even when we aren’t aware of it. The Bible says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way” (Psalm 37:23, KJV). The best-known Psalm in the Bible declares, “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3).

On the other hand, God has given us the ability to make decisions–and when we make wrong decisions, we can’t say that God was guiding us. Recently, I got a letter from a woman who was married but said she had fallen in love with a man who’d recently been transferred to her department at work. “I believe God meant it to happen,” she wrote–but she is wrong. God never meant for her to break her marriage vows, and she’s following Satan’s lies instead.

Is this a paradox or contradiction? No, not really. God loves us, and He wants us to follow His path in life because He knows it is best for us. But when we ignore Him or deliberately disobey Him, we cannot blame Him for the results. The key is to commit our lives to Christ, and seek to follow Him every day, for that is the path to true happiness. Have you given your life to Him?