July 16, 2018
I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:
TO LEAD ME STRAIGHT
Psalm 5:8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
Let me first say how amazing it is that we have a God that leads us, instead of pushing us. Our Lord is our example, not some cultish extremist. Everything that our Lotd does benefits us. Everything other religious leaders do somehow benefits themselves. Our Lord has never asked anything of us that He has not already done and more for us.
David asks the Lord here to lead him in God’s righteousness. That is the only way that God will lead us. In Psalm twenty three David says that his Great Shepherd led him in “paths of righteousness”. If you or I ever end up in paths that are not righteous, God did not lead us there. We ended up there all on our own.
David also asks for God to do this “because of mine enemies”. I think David feared what his enemies would do, and I also think David feared what having enemies might make him do. When you and I serve God, there will always be some things and some people against us. David knew that of all times, he needed God’s leading now. And David knew of all times, he needed to head down a righteous path. Having obstacles against us can very easily make us head down a wrong path. We need God to make sure we don’t. We can head down an angry path, a bitter path, a revengeful path, a sinful path, or simply a wrong path. Because of our enemies, we need God to lead us in His righteousness.
David feels it is so important, that he asks God to make it very clear what he should do. “Make my way straight” means to make it clear and easy to find and follow. We can be so distracted by our “enemies”, that we can become confused about what is right. We can start to concentrate on what we have the right to do, instead of what is right to do. David says to make the way straight, and to put it right in front of his face, so he cannot miss it. God is able to do that you know. There are a number of things that are the “enemy” of God’s will in our life. May you and I ask God today to lead us in His righteousness. Let’s ask Him to make it “clear”, and to make it “close”.