The Season of Direction
You may not understand where God is going, but He knows where He leads.
I went hiking with some friends in an area where I had camped many times. We found a trail and headed out. I had never taken that trail before, but somehow I convinced my friends that I knew where I was going.
Six hours later, we found ourselves standing on the side of the road 12 miles from our car. Our hike ended with a hitchhike.
Seasons change. We cannot control them, and we cannot keep them. We would love to stay in the season of delight, but at some point, life heads in a different direction. David describes this time of transition in Psalm 23.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalm 23:3b
Our call is to follow the Lord. But following the Lord does not necessarily mean that you know where He's going. The fact of the matter is, we don't have to know. All we have to know is Him.
In the season of direction, God gives us righteous paths, and He attaches His name to them.
Righteous Paths
The existence of righteous paths means that in the season of direction, there is a right way.
Life changes, and it is often not our choice. As we encounter these transitions, we must make decisions. God knows the way. His Word is our guide. "Righteous paths" mean that our decisions should please Him.
Righteous paths are not popular paths, but they are wise.
Righteous paths are not easy paths, but we have God's help.
And just in case we want to second-guess the Lord and choose the easier, more popular path, the Bible reminds us that, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Prov. 14:12)."
On our 6 hour hike, I felt like we were going the right way for a LONG way. The wrong path never leads to the right place. You'll probably end up like my friends and me, which is a long way from where you need to be. No matter how good it feels, wrong is wrong. Righteous paths are His ways, not your ways.
His Name Sake
The only thing that saved us on our wayward hike was that we came to a crossroads. At the crossroads was a sign that had the name of a destination I was familiar with. It was not where we wanted to be, but it was an exit path from an ever-darkening forest.
Psalm 23 is written from the perspective of sheep. Sheep can't read. The shepherd is their sign. They follow HIM.
"For His name's sake" means that when you follow Him, your future is created by Him. His name marks your next move.
In seasons of direction, there are a lot of decisions. It's hard for sheep to read the signs. Just follow Him.
You are His.
The path is His.
You may not know where God is going, but He knows where He leads.
Bible Study
Read Proverbs 3:1-12.
- What does this passage command us to do?
- What are the principles we can apply from the passage?
- How does this passage encourage you to pray?
Challenge
Use Proverbs 3:1-12 as a guide for prayer today. Divide the passage into sections as seen below.
- Verses 1-2
- Verses 3-4
- Verses 5-8
- Verses 9-10
- Verses 11-12
List at least one thing in each section that you need to praise God for or pray to God about.
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