Facing road of life with God

One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is Proverbs 3:6. The wise man wrote: “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Paths indicate roads to travel which culminates in a journey. Perhaps the writer of Proverbs realized his human frailty in predicting the unknown direction of his own personal road in life and realized that God would guide him on that unfamiliar road.

So what is the interest for us? A personal illustration will help to clarify my point. Our family trips have always been rewarding and enjoyable but in years past, inevitably Charlie and I had conflict when we were lost. I was for stopping and asking for directions and he was for figuring it out on his own. Thus we would lose valuable time and frustration set in.

But those days are gone. We now have the luxury of a dash navigation system in our car. Not sure about how to get to our destination? No worries. We just type in the address and off we go.

Last December we treated Buffy to a concert in Houston. We had no idea how to get to the Smart Financial Center where Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant were going to perform their Christmas concert. So we typed in the address and our dash navigation system took us right to the venue without one hitch.

No matter where we go and no matter how unfamiliar the location or the destination, we now arrive without incident. We see a map on a screen and a voice that tells us each turn to make. So we can relax and know that we will be guided to our destination. We will approach an intersection or a turnoff on an interstate and a voice will announce to us each move to make. We no longer have to depend on our limited knowledge. We have a map because of guided satellite technology. That is amazing.

So is there a spiritual comparative to this navigation concept? After all, we all face unknown times ahead in this road of life. None of us know or can predict where our personal life road will lead. Rick Warren, the noted pastor wrote: “Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.”

Without God? That means being on the road of life and having no guidance to travel that road and no knowledge as to the destination of that road. But the good news is that we do have access to God’s guidance in our lives. The Bible speaks of God’s presence in our lives: “Whether you turn to the right or left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, that is the way, walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21). The psalmist wrote: “You make known to me the path of life.” (Psalm 16:11)

So how does God’s guidance work in our lives? First, we have the roadmap from the Bible. The scriptures tell us where we came from, why we are here and where we are going. The scriptures tell us how we fit into God’s plan, what our part is in that plan and how we should live our lives while participating in that plan. The Bible reveals truth to us. “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 33:4)

Second we have the benefit of divine direction-finding because the Lord is with us. The Lord speaks to us in that still small voice in our hearts, and helps us with decisions we should make and thus paths we should take. The scriptures tell us that the Lord will always guide us, will satisfy our needs along that road and will give us strength for the unknown road ahead. Isaiah 58:11 reads: “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” So this guidance is spiritual, physical and abundant while on that road.

We all can have confidence in knowing that the Lord’s roadmap is clear and our directions secure because of God’s mercy and goodness toward us.

Judy Brandon is a Clovis resident. Contact her at: [email protected]