I remember leaving college with little sense of direction. What path would I take? What job would I have? It was an exciting time and also a bit scary. Back then I wasn't very close to God. I wish I had known about Proverbs 16: 9 back then:
"A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps."
He Leads Me When I'm Close
The closer we are to our Good Shepherd the more directed our paths will be. He will not lead us down a dangerous path. If we are far off it will be harder to hear His voice. We have plans for our life but those plans will be directed by God Himself if we stay close to Him and listen.
God Makes Us Lie Down in Green Pastures
In Psalm 23, David tells us that God "makes" us lie down in green pastures. We may not always go the right direction in our life but God will create circumstances, God will speak to our hearts, if we listen, that will make us follow the path He has chosen for us.
Our Shepherd
At one time in our lives we went our own way. We ignored God. But as Peter says in I Peter 2:25 (b) we have now returned to the "Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." We thank God that He is our shepherd, because without a shepherd sheep will end up lost and dead.
God is Directing
Many examples in the Bible show us that when God directs our steps things don't go in a straight line. Our paths may seem strange, unfamiliar, even frightening but God is directing us to His will.
Abram left Ur, not even knowing where he was going, but being obedient to God, he became Abraham the father of the Jewish people.
Moses was raised in Pharoah's house but fled Egypt as a murderer and eventually became the great leader of his people to the promised land.
Joseph was the beloved son of his father, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, who rose to become second only to Pharoah in Egypt.
David was the young son of Jesse, a shepherd, who would eventually rise to become the great King of Israel.
Mary, a young virgin, would become the mother of our Lord.
What do these great examples show us? They show that when we are obedient to God, He will direct our path. In Psalm 37:23 David says the following:
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way."
Not An Easy Path
As a Christian our way has never been promised to be an easy one. We may go through times of great hardship but from these times what do we learn? We learn to listen to our Lord, we learn to find our peace in Him, not the world. We learn that we are weak and that in our own strength can do nothing. We learn to trust. We learn obedience.
Fear No Evil
David says God leads him and restores him. David says he will "fear no evil for you are with me". The only thing someone should fear is not knowing God and heading down a path that leads to destruction. In Proverbs 14: 12 Solomon says that the way that seems right to man is the way that ends in death.
Our Path Directed by Him
As Christians our goal is to draw closer to God so that our paths will be directed by Him. David tells us how to do this in Psalm 119:11. He says to hide God's word in your heart so that you won't sin against Him.
Study the Word
Study the word of God. Remember it. Jesus Himself quoted scripture when He was tempted in the desert by Satan. In the New Testament, Timothy tells us much the same thing when he tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15 to be an unashamed, diligent worker who is approved to God. A worker who correctly understands the "word of truth."
The King James version translates the word 'diligent' as 'study'. How do we know God better? By prayerfully studying His Word. In this way He speaks to us and guides us on our path. It may not be the path we would want to take, but it will be our best path because it is the path our Shepherd requires of us.
I want to leave you today with a verse from a song by J.H. Gilmore called, "He Leadeth Me".
He leadeth me: O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do, where'er I be,
still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
Refrain: He leadeth me, he leadeth me; by his own hand he leadeth me: his faithful follower I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me.
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