God who leads
Psa
5:8
Lead me, O LORD , in your
righteousness because of my enemies - make straight your way before
me
There
is one particular truth in Scripture that many people have never taken
hold of: God is an initiator. Yes, God knows the future, God knows
what He wants to do, God knows the plans He has (Eph 2:10) and they
are firm and sure (Psa 33:11) and He has an end in mind (Prov 16:4).
We can plan and strategise, but it is HIS purposes that will succeed
(Prov 19:21) and the good news is that they are for our blessing (Jer
29:11, Eph 1:4-11). It is with this understanding that we should always
approach the subject of guidance. Guidance is all about bringing our
lives in line with God's plan for our lives. [You may need to copy
this meditation and lookup the verses later]
Thus
we find David asking the Lord to “lead me”, but this comes some way
into this psalm that we've already considered twice. He's called the
Lord his King – recognizing the Lord's right to rule over him. He's
recognized that the Lord hates evil and blesses good. He's clear in
his mind about the nature of the One he is asking to lead him. He
comes to the Lord, morning and evening (v.3), to talk to Him. He recognizes
that it is only by God's mercy that he can come to worship God (v.7).
He's got a problem with enemies (v.8) who speak badly of him (v.9)
and he's aware he needs the Lord's help.
He
needs the Lord to lead him, to make straight the way before him. Why?
Because when you have enemies coming against you, your emotions go
all over the place, your vision can get blurred, worry or even fear
can take a hold of you, and even confusion can upset you. When all
of those things happen we need to come and make the way clear, to
clarify the path we should be walking with Him.
There
is one little word in that last phrase that is so important: make
straight your way before me. This brings
us right back to everything we considered in the first paragraph above;
it is God's plan for our lives that we want, it is HIS way ahead that
we want to walk in. He is righteous, His ways are right and because
they are right they are good. The way ahead? We want His way, not
a way that is dominated by the enemy, a way that distorts us, that
is confusing, and worrying. No, His way is good, His way is right,
and His way brings peace and blessing. But His way might be different
to the way of our natural inclinations.
Our
natural inclinations may be defensive in the face of an enemy, in
the face of unkind, harsh, untruthful words about us. And when we
are defensive we respond in like manner; we attack and that is not
God's way. Thus we find ourselves in a place of real need, of being
led, of being guided into God's way of doing things, God's way of
leading us through the days ahead. Oh yes, there's the problem! Tomorrow
and all the days ahead! We've got to live through these days in the
sight of the enemy. Somehow we need God's grace to walk in His way.
That's
why, so often, the apostle Paul would start his letters with “grace
and peace to you.” Grace
is God's ability there for us, to help us cope, to help us overcome,
and to help us triumph in the situation – in His way. Peace is the
ability to be at rest in the knowledge that the Lord IS Lord, that
He reigns and He has a plan that he is working out. Perhaps this word
comes to you like the word through Isaiah, Whether
you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice
behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
(Isa 30:21). Is your tendency to veer off God's path? Then the
quiet word comes from behind you, still on the path, “THIS is the
way!” Wondering how to proceed? Needing guidance? The answer is God's
way, God's plan carried out in God's way!
Response?
Commit your way to Him this day. Declare your trust in Him. Declare
that you WILL trust Him to lead you and make your way straight.