Hope Along the Way

I often ask the Lord to teach me, to show me the path He has laid out for my life. My desire to do His will is sincere but I often put up roadblocks that prevent me from fully walking in His truth. Psalm 86:11 says, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” I want to be taught, but am I willing to learn? 

Do I really pay attention to what the Lord wants to teach me or do I want to do my own thing? Do I show Him the respect He so rightly deserves or am I like a wayward student who rebelliously refuses to hear what my teacher is saying? Rebellion can be outright and very visible but it can also be silent and invisible. I may not be rebelling outright, but if I am becoming distracted by other things – family, church, work, television – then I am still rebelling and not giving my attention to discerning His will. Until I relinquish my own desires I have no hope of walking in God’s truth.

In the context of this verse the word “fear” connotes the highest form of respect, namely reverence and awe. When I view God with all of the reverence and awe that He rightly deserves then I will be able to follow in the paths He has laid out for my life. It is when I lose sight of His majesty that I begin to erect roadblocks and leave the narrow path He has placed me upon to instead follow the wide thoroughfares of worldly desires, greed, and self-aggrandizement.

Sometimes following God’s will for our lives means giving up things that we think are important. It means making changes that we would never even think about if it weren’t for God calling and placing a particular path before us. When we purposely give God the reverence and awe He so rightly deserves we can have hope in the knowledge that He will teach us His way. He will grant us all that we need to walk in His truth and we will be truly blessed as a result. 

Turning our eyes to our magnificent and awe-deserving Creator gives us hope for our journey. While we may not know the path that our lives will take, we can take comfort in the knowledge that He has planned every step along the way. As we look for His guidance He will help us place our feet steadily and with surety upon the steep slopes and rocky crevices we will inevitably encounter.