I recently made a trip to Rhode Island alone. What you might not know is that my wife is an expert with reading a road map. For those of you who are younger, that is a thing you use to find your way to another destination (these were very popular before smart phones and GPS’s). I normally lean on my wife for directions, even when I have my GPS leading me. My wife knows ways to get around a city that the GPS does not know. Knowing that she was not going along with me, I asked her to write down her “special” directions for me so I would not need to drive directly through all the cities. I had a hand-written set of directions from my wife in hand as I drove out of our driveway.
My wife knew where I was heading, and she knew the way that would be best for me to go. The directions she wrote for me were specifically written for this trip, and for me. She had done all she could to help me to get where I was going without major difficulties. After I pulled out of my driveway, it was up to me to follow the directions she had prepared for me. I have gotten lost enough times that I knew it would be a good idea to follow her directions, and not to go the ways that I “felt” could be right.
Today I began reading the longest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 119 has 176 verses in this one chapter. 171 verses of the 176 verses mention the Word of God (using the words, law, judgments, statutes, commandments, and word). The longest chapter in our Bible is filled with references to the importance of the Word of God to the believer. I read a verse that is my hearts-cry to my Heavenly Father. “O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes” (Psalm 119:5)! When I read these words, I immediately thought that this is truly the desire of my heart! I want to follow God’s map for my life without hesitation. My problem, and I sense it is probably a problem you struggle with as well, is that I tend to like to take my own “short-cuts” to the plan of God that I see in the Word of God. I tend to think I might know a better way to be successful than the way that I see clearly printed on the pages of my Bible. Today I want to give myself again to staying on the track the Bible lays out for my life. Just like my wife is better at directions for a road trip; I know that God knows the best way for me to go in my life. Even though I know this in my head, there are times that my desires for my will override this knowledge. Just as I had the choice to follow my wife’s directions or to go my own way, I also have the choice to follow God’s plan, or to go my own way. My desire is to stay on course!