He Shall Direct Your Paths
Ponder: How should we decide what to do?
Scripture: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6 NKJV).
Whoever said, “Life is a breeze,” was wrong! At home, school, work, and yes, even at church, we struggle with complicated issues. We may wonder which way to turn. How can we resolve life’s thorny problems?
Pop psychology says, “Look within yourself. Follow your heart! Do whatever you think is right, and it will all work out.”
Major Problem: God’s word says exactly the opposite. “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Indeed, God’s inspired prophet said we are looking in the wrong place when we look within ourselves for direction. Why is that?
A bit later in Jeremiah, God gives us the answer: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (17:9). Ouch! It hurts to admit I am sinful. The world erroneously insists that people are fundamentally good, and that we can find the right course by looking inside ourselves. God says our hearts are deceitful and wicked; it is not in us to direct our own steps.
That’s not to say there is nothing good about us, or that we can never be correct about which way to go. A heart that has been cleansed by Jesus’ blood and trained in God’s word might well propose the right path frequently. But that’s the whole point! The right way is determined by God’s word, not merely by what I feel in my heart. Even the heart converted to Christ may be deceived by Satan’s lies and the weakness of the flesh.
Wise Solomon wrote: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6). When the world calls you to look within yourself to find truth, resist that appeal with all your might! Let God direct your paths. Then you may be confident that you will arrive safely at your eternal destination.
Song: “Savior, Lead Me Lest I Stray”
Prayer: Gracious God, we thank You for leading us through Your word. Help us, we pray, to trust you completely as we consider the grave danger of trusting our own hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Joe Slater (Justin, TX)