“Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me.”
Psalm 27:11 NLT
In the age of the satnav, it’s easy to forget how to find one’s way without this electronic guide. I get frustrated because it seems to take me on the least attractive route, which means motorways. So I now adjust my control panel to exclude motorways; while taking longer over my journeys, I now see far fewer cars and often wonderful scenery.
Reflecting on my walk of faith, I am comfortable when I am on a familiar path. But wilderness introduces me to a geography I do not know and across which the paths may not as yet have been laid. In other words, it’s my responsibility to pioneer my path across a strange landscape. My inclination is never to mind when I get lost. And where time was once of importance to me and I stressed over making good use of it, today I’m far more relaxed and enjoy moments rather more than preconceived outcomes.
One thing is certain; crossing the wilderness means time is of little relevance to the journey. It is both purpose and destination that counts, as the Magi discovered. As a young man, I had plans for my life, pathways in part conceived from my own preferences and in part from observation of the choices and ambitions of those I observed around me. I formulated a way of life in my imagination, one that while it served me, was not guaranteed to serve the will of God.
God’s will is a difficult conundrum at the best of times. It has to be a formula of God’s scriptural revelation mixed with the testimony and tradition drawn from God’s faithful disciples. It was only through a process of unlearning that I recognised, and then practised with much uncertainty, God’s way as directed by God.
QUESTION
Are you entrusting your footsteps to the way of God?
PRAYER
Lead me, O Lord, along the paths of righteousness; lead me safely through the dangers.
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