100 I've become wiser than the wise old sages simply by doing what you tell me. 101 I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil so I can spend all my time keeping your Word. 102 I never make detours from the route you laid out; you gave me such good directions. 103 Your words are so choice, so tasty; I prefer them to the best home cooking. 104 With your instruction, I understand life; that's why I hate false propaganda. 105 By your words I can see where I'm going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
- The Message
Have you ever had an off day? Of course you have. We all have. That's part of being human. Sometimes we're on top of our game and sometimes we're not. When I'm on the golf course, I'm usually not because I don't play enough to have a good day. That takes practice. But in each of us, we have a talent or a hidden trait that we really don't have to develop or practice, we just naturally have it.
I have one of mind is a keen sense of direction. For some reason, I rarely get lost, but it has happened. Maybe it's because I like to look at maps and because I do, I can usually find my way around. But that's not always the case. My gift or talent is strictly relegated to the outdoors. Once i in a building, don't ask me which way is north. I will probably point up. It often surprises me to sit in a room and feel pretty certain that north is one way only to discover that I have missed by 5 or 100 degrees. I'm not sure why my sense of direction is so off when I am enclosed behind four walls, but it is.
The psalmist who wrote the scripture above knew what it's like to be lost from time-to-time. He knew that if he wanted to say on the right course in life, he needed to follow the trail blazed before him. He sang that God's word leads him through the darkest points of life and won't lead him astray.
On occasion, I find it useful to have a compass with me. It may come in handy when my natural senses fail me because I am surrounded by certain barriers. But, a compass will only guide me towards a temporal destination. On the other hand, when I take time to engage in daily devotions, my spirit is re-oriented to my eternal destination. How about you, when you find yourself surrounded and lost, where do you turn for your guidance? Remember the psalmist exclamation, "By your words [God's word] I can see where I'm going, they throw a beam of light on my dark path."
Godspeed,
Tim
No comments:
Post a Comment