Have you found your path?

The world is full of paths and roads, and they all lead to different places. But there is only one path to a truly blessed future, and there is only one way to find it.

Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them! Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future. The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him. (Psalm 37:34-40)

I’m terrible with directions.

Seriously. If you ever ride in the car with me, be prepared for us to turn around a few times before I figure out where I’m going. Even if I have Google Maps going. Even if I know the basic way to get there. I just get turned around easily. I like to say it’s part of my charm.

I’m not lost. Not exactly. I just haven’t found the road that will get me where I’m trying to go. Eventually I’ll get there. It just takes me a bit longer than other people sometimes.

And I think that has some relevance in how we follow Jesus in our everyday lives.

This is our final week studying Psalm 37, and I love that it goes here to the idea of following God’s path, traveling steadily in the direction He says. If you haven’t read all of Psalm 37 yet, please do. It’s totally worth it.

I do believe that we can know the right path to walk but not be on it. I think it’s entirely possible to understand the road we need to be traveling without actually traveling on it. We can know for sure what God has asked us to do and still not do it. That’s because humanity has this little thing in our lives called Free Will.

God has given us the right to make our own choices. We can decide for ourselves how we live our lives, what paths we walk, what authorities we obey. It’s entirely up to us, but the quality of our journey (and indeed the richness of our eternity) is connected to who we obey.

God has laid out a beautiful journey for each of us. We don’t start on it. We usually need to find our way to it in some way, usually by being directed there through His Word or maybe through the godly wisdom of a mentor.

It may get frustrating because we’ll see contemporaries going different ways, walking different paths, and it will feel like they are making better, faster progress. But the roads they’re on don’t lead to a blessed future. The roads they walk lead to nothing.

So once you find the road God has provided for you to walk, stay on it. It might be slow going. It won’t be easy. But staying on the road will lead you to a life beyond your wildest expectation.

Word of the Day

PATH (דַּרְכּ֗וֹ | darc֗o)

From the word derek (דְּרָכַ֫יִם | way, road, path, journey, manner, conduct)

The word we’re looking at today is used in both literal and figurative senses from Genesis through Malachi. It refers to practical movement, intentional decisions, and the road to destiny itself. There are many paths in the world that lead to many different goals and destinations, but it’s up to the individual to discern which path belongs to God and which ones belongs to the world. Fortunately for us, God will always make the road He wants us to talk obvious and clear. And even if we fall off of it, He will always make a way for us to get back on it.