Do you ever wish God communicated with neon lights? If His plans were that bright and loud and unmistakable, maybe we wouldn’t miss them so often. Or maybe making a decision wouldn’t be so hard.
Deciding between doing something the Bible says is right and doing something the Bible says is wrong is easy. If you want God’s blessing and favor, do what He says is right. That’s not the problem.
The problem comes when you have two good choices, when you have two great opportunities. How do you choose? How do you know what the right choice is?
Road construction at Glen Eyrie Castle, Colorado Springs, CO
Today’s verses are Psalm 25:4-5.
Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
It’s good to know that we aren’t the only ones who struggle with knowing God’s plans. David asked questions like this all the time, which I think is important to note. So many times I think we try to make decisions about what we should do or where we should go without talking to God about it.
That’s basically what David does. He just tells God what’s going on in his life, asks the hard questions, and waits for God to tell him what to go do with himself. And I may be wrong about this (I haven’t done an in-depth study), but I don’t think David ever heard God speak to him. God communicated to David through prophets. And when David didn’t have a prophet to tell him what God was up to, he acted on what he knew about God.
No prophet came to David to tell him to stand up to Goliath. David knew God was on his side and was on Israel’s side, and he just did it.
Sometimes I think we are too cautious. We get caught up in the details, in the questions, in the unknowns. We want to make sure we’re good stewards of the resources God has given us, and that’s a wonderful thing. We should be responsible with what God has entrusted to our care. But sometimes we have to take risks. Sometimes we have to step out on faith. Sometimes we have to do what God is telling us to do even if it doesn’t make sense, especially if it’s something we don’t want to do in the first place.
Sometimes that means leaving what you know; other times that means staying where you are. But the one thing both decisions have in common is why. Why would you stay? Why would you go? Is it for you? Is it to achieve something you think will make life more fulfilling? Is it because you’re afraid? Is it because you don’t think you can do it?
Find the why. And once you know the why, hold it up to the Truth of Scripture. Does your why stand up? Just because both of your choices are God-honoring doesn’t automatically mean your reasons for wanting both of them are too.
What’s awesome about God is that He doesn’t expect us to know where we’re going. He just expects us to know who to follow.
We focus on the road God wants us to take, but what if it’s not about the road? What if it’s about the map? And as long as you are reading the map, as long as you are living the life God has called you to live, seeking Him in every choice, He will guide your steps. You can’t take a wrong road.
So it really is up to you what kind of road you want to travel. There’s a straight shot. There’s the windy, curvy roads. Then there are the rugged back roads. Some are easier to travel than others, but generally speaking, the best sights and the greatest adventures are on the roads less traveled.
What path are you supposed to take?
Believe it or not, Christian, God’s already told you what road you’re supposed to be on. His. But you can’t say that God only sanctions the highway. God’s will is big enough to have highways and freeways and county roads and gravel roads and goat paths and whatever.
You know how you’re supposed to live. So go out and live and trust Him. Seek His will first. Be open to doing whatever He wants you to do. He won’t let you go the wrong direction as long as your heart is set on following Him.
Always Peachy 