Which way should I go? right path...hmmm
- Christine DiGiacomo
- 36 minutes ago
- 4 min read
How to know what to do.
Should I take this job or the other one?
Should I homeschool my kids or leave them in traditional school?
How should I go about meeting a mate?
When is the right time for us to retire?
This medical treatment or that one? on and on it goes.
How do I know the 'right' or 'best' course of action?
The accompanying picture I took in the mountains of Utah - it captures a narrow path with the way ahead obscured.
Does God really lead us? Hmmm . . .
This favored poetry, Psalm 23, describes a Shepherd who leads and guides us-
so that we are without need and can walk in contentment,
so that we can know safety and rest.
He leads in such a way that we do not have to guess at pleasing him,
but instead he shows us the ways of righteousness.
And as a faithful shepherd, God promises he will not abandon us;
especially in our darkest moments, we can look for his comforting presence.
Familiar with this psalm most of my life, there was so much I did not fully understand. In the last Morning Briefing, ‘God, Protection and Weapons,' https://conta.cc/4u2Hokh, we looked at this statement of David's in verse four: your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The shepherd’s rod helps keep the sheep safe, particularly when out in the open field. But the staff, cut and shaped to the height of the individual sheepherder, protects in a different way. The use of the staff illustrates the careful attentiveness of the shepherd, who is able to pull each of his flock aside to examine coat, feet, ears, eyes and nose. When a newborn lamb gets separated from mama, it is the staff the shepherd uses to lift the baby and put her next to the ewe, so as not to foul the baby with human odor causing the mama sheep to reject her baby.
When a sheep gets stuck in a thicket, the shepherd uses the staff to free it. But probably most often, the shepherd uses the staff to guide the simple-minded animal to go the right way. Oh, and other times, the shepherd lets his sheep know he is present by touching them with his staff. Hmmm....that is so good.
Sometimes I wish I could see and feel the staff of my Good Shepherd, as simply as a sheep, hearing his voice of instruction, telling me the way I should go. Take a look at this short clip of a shepherd calling his flock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coq_grSFlNs Amazing. But then, I remember how he has chosen to lead me, how he has chosen to lead you--also through the sound of his voice.
Our Good Shepherd waits for us to come to the pasture each morning to meet with him.
STOP! I want to interject a question: do you have spiritual goals? If not, why not? We set goals for fitness, work, saving, etc.--but do you and I have anything close to a spiritual goal? Here is my proposition:
Set a goal to intentionally get to know God better
There are several ways to do that, including the following:
Start each day with:
->Time in the Word he has given us for instruction . . . about who he is: "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations." Deuteronomy 7.9 And because that is true, he leads us in the way we should go. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘this is the way - walk in it.'” Isaiah 30.21.
->Time to talk with him at the start of each day Ask God for his wisdom, ask for his guidance, because he tells us “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” Psalm 32.8.
->Yes, Time to speak to our Shepherd and a time to listen for his still, small voice. What he would have us do, how would he have us live and be . . .
Yes, I suppose it would be much clearer if we were but sheep and he were our shepherd, guiding with his staff, protecting with his rod . . . but instead he has made us a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor! Psalm 8.5; Hebrews 2.7.
How do we know what to do? We read his Word, we talk with him, listen for his voice, listen for his leading and prompts. Yes, throughout our day, we are expectant that we will hear from him.
In spite of the rise of secular thinking and influence, upside-down morals (such that almost anything goes), and relativistic thinking, God is drawing people to himself. Especially young people! We are seeing it on college campuses; heck, we see professional athletes unabashedly giving God glory ... like no other moment in my lifetime!
But then, as the disciple Peter simply and wisely asked and then answered, "to whom else would we go? You alone have the words of life!" John 6.68
Consider these brilliant words of the great American theologian and minister Jonathan Edwards: ‘It is the task of every generation to discern in which direction the Sovereign Redeemer is moving, then move in that direction.’ He is drawing us to himself, creatively and unapologetically to himself.
In and to what you give your attention, I encourage you to CHOOSE WELL.
Music oft awakens my emotions so that my heart and mind can receive truth:
Christine
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