Most mornings, I walk around my recreational vehicle (RV) park for about half an hour, using different routes. There is not much organization as to how the roads are laid out — they wander here and there, some short, some long — so it makes for an interesting and varied walk. The story is that years ago, the original owner of the land allowed people to camp on his property. The person who started the RV park then laid out the roads according to where those people had camped.

Every so often, however, there is a clearly defined walking path. Sometimes, it's parallel lines of small logs or rocks laid out one after the other. There's one that is even labelled "Walking Path" just in case an errant driver gets confused. It winds between two rows of backyards where residents have planted gardens or otherwise developed their site.

There's something comforting about those paths, especially since it's a rule that we should not walk through others' RV sites. On the paths, I know that I'm going the right way and that I'm not offending any of my neighbours.

Likewise, the Bible tells us that in His Word, God will clearly show us the paths that we should take in life.

Psalm 16:11 – You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (NKJV)

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (NKJV)

Proverbs 3:6 – In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)

Different translations help us to understand what "acknowledge Him" means in Proverbs 3:6: "submit to him" (NIV 2011); "seek his will" (NLT); "think about Him" (HCSB); "let him lead you" (CEV). He wants us to rely totally on Him, to submit to His will, and to trust Him with an undivided heart.

Many of us likely memorized those verses years ago. But do we really practice them? Is His Word a lamp that literally lights up our path through life, showing us the way to walk and where not to walk — like those logs in my RV park? Are we studying His Word daily to find that light? Are we acknowledging Him in all our ways and submitting to His will always, or just when it's convenient?

When our eyes and heart are fixed on Jesus, He will truly direct our paths, and we can rest in Him, knowing that we are walking in the right direction.

Prayer: Lord, those are such seemingly simple Scriptures, yet they are so powerful. Help us not only to retain them in our memory, but also to practice walking in Your light and in Your path. Amen.

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About the author:

Sharon Cook <craftercook@gmail.com>
Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
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