Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in his love; he will sing and be joyful about you.”
There is a story that occurred on the Italian Riviera. A young man was driving his sports car along a road near the sea. It was a beautiful and scenic route. But the road was not as it seemed.
All along the way were warning signs. Yet, to the young man, the roads seemed perfectly good. Disaster awaited him. A landslide had recently been on that road. He continued at great speed, ignoring the warning signs. This story does have a sad ending; the young man ended up driving straight over the cliff.
When we are born, our paths begin to become set for us. As a parent, we strive to keep our children on a good path of living like Jesus and on a path in school that will hopefully lead them to a good career and life. When we are born, God has already set in motion His path for us to follow and will direct us with the people around us. Once baptized and we have found Jesus, the Holy Spirit will continue to lead us on the path God has set for us if we listen to His voice.
Unfortunately, we can only do so much as our children become young adults and we have to let them forge their own path (hey, it’s a very difficult thing for all moms). All we can do is pray that they see the path Jesus has set for them and follow it.
Yet there are times, or children, or even ourselves, who will become unsure of where the path will lead. If you’re like me and afraid of getting lost or feel out of sorts when there is an unknown ahead of you, this can be hard. There may be times we may not know where the path leads but feel Jesus is directing us and have to stay the course in faith. There will also be times the path we should stay off of is well-marked and we choose to stay on that path anyway.
Jesus is very clear in Matthew 7:13-14 that there are only two paths. One leads to life and the other to destruction. Jesus even goes on to say, He will light your way as he leads you on the path to life- Psalm 119:105. And He promises to deliver us when we heed the warnings- Ezekiel 3:21. Yet, if you ignore the warnings, there is only one path- Romans 6:23.
As easy as it seems to stay on the path God sets for us, there are many things that cause us to wander. The young man was simply on a joyride but ignored the warnings because he was having fun. Sometimes a simple temptation can be too hard to resist because it appeals to our desires, and we really aren’t hurting anyone. Maybe we become too burdened by life’s hardship, and it’s easier to eat the bitter root than trust God to help us through. It could be we’ve been hurt or feel we just can’t forgive anymore. Or one of my favorites, “the grass is always greener on the other side.” It’s easy to fall onto a path of defeat when we take our eyes off the spiritual direction God is leading us on.
If you feel you may be following a path you’re unsure of or ignoring the warning signs, it’s time to get back on God’s lighted path for you. It’s a wonderful road to travel because God is good. His love never runs out. There is nothing you can do to improve on God’s plan for you because He is good and loves you. He only wants the best for your life.
The good news is that wherever you are and whatever path you’re on, if you feel lost, you can simply call out to Jesus. Then He will pour His never-ending grace on you and lead you to the path He has lighted for you. There is nowhere you can go that His loving arms cannot reach and rescue you.
If you have found the path God is leading you on, just remember to stay the course. We will not have a life like a bowl of peaches all the time; there will be ups and downs. We just need to remember God is our driver and to spend time with Him in prayer and His Word. If He has led you to the path, He will help you navigate through it. Keep your mind always alert and always heed the warnings so you don’t find yourself driving over a cliff.
Daily Bible reading maintains our connection with God through his written Word. It reminds us of his character, promises, our dependence on him, and our future together. It familiarizes us with and helps us grasp the whole story of Scripture, and it keeps our souls energized. Bible study also deepens and expands our understanding of specific Bible passages; it helps us sort through hard concepts and gives insight into the context of the Bible. Ideally, our time in deeper study will result in more fulfilling times of daily reading, as what we have gleaned through in-depth study informs our regular time in the Word.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on ConnectWithGodDaily
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