By Chris WittsSaturday 25 Jun 2022Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
Proverbs 19:21. I said this yesterday. We may make lots of plans, but the Lord will do what he has decided. And I’m talking about finding your way. What happens when you get lost? Is your life lost? Do you want to go one way? But you have a feeling that God wants you to go another. And what happens when we end up losing our way?
We can actually be in conflict with God’s will in our lives. And in other words, I’d rather find out what way I want to go with. But do you know God’s way is best just like the guy who gets out a leash and takes his dog for a walk? The dog is running all over the place, wanting to go here and there and gets himself wrapped around trees and poles. Is that dog going to go anywhere other than where his master takes him?
If the dog fights against his master all it accomplishes is a sore neck and otherwise frustrating the master.
So the Bible says in his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
I wonder whether you believe that it would be much easier if we’d figure out where God is heading and then decide to go with him. That’s what Proverbs 16:3 says. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do” and your plans will succeed. It’s sort of echoes what Proverbs 3:5-6 says:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
They’re wonderful words there. If we commit to God, all that we are, he will make our plans succeed. And I’m sure he’ll make our road easier because our road then will be in a straight line. That’s not to say everything will go smoothly with without any bumps. If you studied algebra at school, and this was the question that you could have been asked, What’s the shortest distance between two points?
Well, the answer is a straight line.
God says he will make your paths straight. You go where I want you to go and your path will be straight. It was Abraham Lincoln who said that no one ever got lost on a straight road. Now there might be many diversions and roads off that. As long as you walk along the straight road, you’ll know where you’re going.
Walking off the straight and narrow road
What happens if you got off the road if you took a side trip and got things messed up? And that’s a parallel or illustration to what happens in life. When a person seeks to honour God, if he trusts, he or she trusts God with all his heart, then God will provide, because Proverbs 16:4 says the Lord works out everything for his own ends. Even that means if we mess up when we belong to God and that can be an encouraging statement, even when we do the wrong thing.
That’s why, it says in Romans 8:28. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
So it doesn’t say all things are good, it doesn’t say all things are brought about by God, but in a sense it doesn’t matter because God is there. If we love him and belong to him, he promises he will work with that for the good of those; for you, for those who love him and for those who he has called. So without God leading you, you might know where you want to go. But it could really be the wrong thing. Because what we wrapped up within life of the s words (success in our career, success in our status, cars, houses how we view ourselves).
And Jesus said that if we build our lives upon the type of thinking, in that sense, all we’re going to have is despair. He said, Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust don’t destroy and where thieves do not break in and destroy. (Matthew 6:19-21).
You can’t hang on to those things. So Jesus said to seek first my kingdom. That’s what he said. The kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.
So I think one of the reasons that people without God get dissatisfied is because their goal is about being successful. Scripture says when a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7.
Let’s Pray
But we’re told to love our enemies. So God can just take those things and bring them into the right way. Well, God, most of us are impatient. We’re not prepared to wait. But I realise, Lord, that your timing is different to mine. You said a long time ago be still and know that I am God. And I need to take that seriously as I find my way with you, Amen.